Chances
by SamiMikaelson
Summary: Klaus finds out that Caroline is carrying his child. Meanwhile, his enemies are working on a plan to break him by destroying everything he cares about. Klaus has to win back his siblings and Caroline's trust while protecting them at the same time. No easy task, not even for a thousand year old hybrid. - Sequel to Lone Came The Devil
1. Revelation

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters! **

* * *

**Chances**

Chapter One: Revelation

* * *

_Too many years of battle scars and now_

_We're broken_

_And all the words you said_

_Been hanging over my head for time_

_And all of the lines we've crossed_

_Have finally burst us open_

_As a thousand tiny paper cuts of life_

_Bitter End - Rag'n'Bone Man_

* * *

Klaus stood on the balcony that aligned to his bedroom, watching the streets of New Orleans. He had always loved the city he had built with his family centuries ago. He and his family had spent more time apart than together during the last centuries. True, most of it was his fault, daggering them or just generally pushing them away once danger arose. But this compound in New Orleans bore witness to some of the very rare occasions he and his siblings had spent time together without a care. They had been happy here. Whenever Klaus had revisited this city after they had to run from Mikael yet again, he had felt at home. Pleasant memories flooding his brain, jazz music filling the streets, art and culture everywhere. But he had not felt any of this during the past months. Not since he had left Mystic Falls. While New Orleans was far more beautiful and less boring than the small town in Virginia, he felt a pull that was trying to make him go back to that boring town. After centuries of trying to build a home for his family, Klaus had come to realise that the most exhilarating and perfect city would do no good, or feel like home, if it was missing just a few people. If he could, he would hurry back to Mystic Falls in a heartbeat. But he couldn't. Not quite DeMartell and his annoying bitch of a sister still had him exactly where they wanted him. Beneath them. Klaus would do as they told for as long as he needed if that meant his siblings and Caroline would be safe. Cutting ties with them had taken every bit of strength Klaus possessed. He longed for their presence, their voices and laughter. While he was certain that Rebekah and Kol were probably dealing well with his absence and the way he had left, he knew that Henrik and Caroline wouldn't. Klaus was aware of the fact that he must have caused them immense pain with the way he left, the things he said. Even if they decided to hate him for what he did, he wouldn't mind. Not if that meant they were alive and well-to-do so. He'd gladly sacrifice his own happiness for their well-being.

The first time Klaus had realised that, he had immediately downed half a bottle of scotch, overwhelmed with the truth behind his thoughts. After a thousand years in which he denied himself to care, he finally admitted to love. Not out loud, of course. The possibility of open rejection causing him to hide his feelings.

Klaus' phone made a sound, indicating an incoming message.

**MARCEL**

**Meet me at the cemetery. It's important**.

Klaus put the phone back in his pocket and headed to the cemetery, intrigued in what Marcel might have found out about his enemies.

When he arrived, Klaus was surprised to find Marcel with Elijah and the witch Davina. It seemed to him that this day was about to be very interesting.

"Why the crowd?" Klaus asked.

"After the meeting, I asked Davina for a favour. She helped me figure out the situation and whether Tristan was telling the truth. As for Elijah, I thought it best to have him present for what I am about to reveal." Marcel explained.

"Go on, then." Klaus instructed, now very curious what had gotten Marcel in such a frenzy.

_Marcel sat at a huge table next to Tristan. His creepy sister and Lucien were present as well as some women he assumed were witches. The atmosphere was different from the past times Marcel had joined Tristan to report on Klaus and his doings.__"Yesterday, the witches approached me with some interesting news." Tristan announced, a small smile grazing his lips._

_Marcel gulped. If Klaus and Tristan had one thing in common, it was the way they smiled when they were plotting._

_"Marcel, I believe you have met a woman called Caroline Forbes in the past?" Tristan asked._

_"Yes. Some arm-candy Klaus was carrying around, I believe." Marcel answered nonchalantly._

_"Why are we talking about some irrelevant slut Nik used to carry around?" Aurora glared at her brother._

_"Because she will be an important part in our plan to kill the originals." Tristan revealed._

_"Why would one of his pets be this important?" Lucien asked._

_"Because she is much more than a simple pet." Tristan revealed._

_Marcel could practically see fume coming out of Aurora's ears at her brother's statement. While it was fun to watch her getting aggravated, Marcel feared for Caroline's safety. He had grown to like her in the short time he spent with her. It was hard not to like a kind person like her. Plus, he knew Klaus would freak out if his enemies targeted his girl._

_"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure Klaus ditched her as soon as he got bored with her." Marcel tried._

_"He left her in an attempt to keep her safe from us. As he did with his siblings." Tristan assured the group._

_"Oh, come on! Are you implying that Klaus actually cares about her?" Lucien laughed._

_"He doesn't!" Aurora exclaimed._

_"It doesn't matter. What's more important is the child growing inside her. Niklaus' child." Tristan said seriously._

_Aurora's mouth opened, her eyes nearly falling out of her sockets. Marcel and Lucien started laughing at how ridiculous Tristan sounded._

_"Sorry, mate, but vampire's can't procreate." Lucien said in-between laughter._

_"Niklaus is not a vampire, is he? He is the original hybrid. While you are right about your statement about vampires, you should be aware that this rule does not apply to werewolves." Tristan said, not amused by their reaction._

_"Might be true, but Caroline certainly is a regular vampire. There's no chance she could be pregnant." Marcel said, getting serious again._

_"It seems the witches have meddled with that little rule and made an exception." Tristan said, looking at the women Marcel didn't know._

_"Yes, the spirits have used their power to aid the hybrid to create a family of his own, hoping it would balance him." The witches explained._

_"And how would you know that Caroline is carrying a mini-Klaus?" Lucien asked._

_"If anyone would be fit to carry Nik's child, it'd be me! I'm the love of his life, after all!" Aurora yelled._

_"Calm down, sister. It's true, whether you like it or not." Tristan said, annoyed with his little sister's obsession._

_"Even if it's true, how does that help us?" Lucien asked._

_Tristan rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed by the fact that he seemed to be the only one capable of understanding the opportunity they were presented with._

_"Would you think about it? The child of the original hybrid, grand-child of the original witch, carried and born by a vampire. This child will be so much more useful than Niklaus." Tristan explained._

_Marcel felt himself getting paler by the second. Was this guy implying they take this child from its mother once it's born?_

_"So we wait 'till Klaus' pet gives birth to that miracle baby, then kill the originals and the child's mother?" Lucien asked, obviously intrigued at the idea._

_"I have not yet made my mind up about killing Niklaus. We don't know for certain whether his child's blood will be able to cure wolf bites as well. Also, we don't know if that child will be able to create hybrids. But keeping Niklaus alive doesn't hinder us from tearing him apart on the inside." Tristan said with a wicked smile._

_"I want to kill that bitch!" Aurora announced._

_"Your wish will be granted, sister. However, the witches informed me of the safety measures in place to protect the originals and Miss Forbes. We will let them feel safe in Mystic Falls until the child is born. Then, we tear down the barrier and fulfil our plan. Also, I believe it goes without saying that Niklaus is to remain in the dark about his unborn child"_

Marcel finished talking, watching Klaus cautiously. To his surprise, the original started to laugh."If they are waiting for some miracle child to be born, we have all eternity to find the stakes and kill them slowly." Klaus said.

"That's what I thought, too. I asked Davina to check his theory, though. Better be safe than sorry, right?" Marcel said.

"I contacted the spirits for reassurance. It's true. Caroline is pregnant." Davina assured Klaus.

"The spirits are lying then! Have you all lost your mind? Elijah, tell them it's impossible!" Klaus urged.

Elijah straightened his suit and made a step in his brother's direction.

"Caroline did not want you to find out. She swore all of us to secrecy." Elijah said, his head down in an attempt to avoid his brother's eyes.

"No. You are all liars!" Klaus yelled, pointing his finger in the direction of them.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Niklaus." Elijah stated.

Klaus just shook his head. There was no way this was true. Even if it was possible for him and Caroline to have a child, she would certainly have told him about it. She wouldn't leave him in the dark.

"Rebekah and Kol are taking care of her." Elijah assured Klaus.

"Caroline would have told me." Klaus said, trying to convince himself and the others.

"She tried to. But then you left and broke her heart." Elijah said softly.

Klaus looked at Elijah who was finally looking him in the eyes and saw not a hint of deceit. His brother was telling the truth.

Tears were gathering in Klaus' eyes. Unwilling to let them see him weak, he flashed away.

Why, he thought, why had they hid that from him? Caroline, he could slightly understand, but Elijah. How dare he not mention this once! Didn't he trust Klaus enough to let him make his own decision? Did Caroline not want her child's father around? Maybe she was right. What kind of father could he possibly be? A better one than Mikael, he was sure of it. He could be the better man. For Caroline and their little one.

Klaus grabbed his phone, dialling a specific number. Someone who should have told him the minute he found out.

"Hello." A male voice answered the phone after the second ring.

"Joshua! My most disappointing minion!" Klaus greeted.

"Um, okay?" He said, obviously confused.

"Say, Joshua, is there anything you have to tell me?" Klaus asked.

"Things are going great here. Henrik-" Klaus interrupted him.

"How far along is she?" Klaus growled.

He heard the hybrid swallow hard.

"About seven months." Joshua almost whispered.

"And you have consciously been hiding this little fact from me because?" Klaus asked angrily.

"She didn't want you to know." Joshua defended himself.

"Let's get this straight: You follow my orders. No one else's! Understood?"

"Yes, sir." he answered immediately.

"Now, make sure Caroline is fine while I figure out what to do. Oh, and Joshua? You won't tell her about our little chat, will you?"

"No, sir."

Klaus felt the urge to destroy his phone, to crash it in the palm of his hand. But he refrained and walked down the familiar streets of New Orleans, eager to get back to the compound and indulge in a fine bottle of bourbon.

He sat down in a comfortable armchair, bottle firm in his hand. Elijah would be here soon, he knew it. How dare his brother keep this from him for so long? While Klaus was aware of all the wrong he has done over the years, well centuries, he thought that his elder brother was loyal. How wrong he was. Elijah had deceived him for months now! So much for being the noble brother. Klaus huffed out loud. It was ridiculous. Caroline was pregnant with his child.

Before he could get lost in his thoughts further, Elijah appeared.

"I see you're drowning your feelings in alcohol once more." He stated.

"What else do you want me to do? Because that's what it's about, isn't it? I thought you have followed me out of loyalty when in reality you followed me to make sure I would stay away from Caroline and my child!" Klaus spat as he got up, abandoning his drink on a table.

"That's not true." Elijah answered calmly.

"I do everything in my power to protect our family! To protect her! And you betrayed me once again! You gave our enemies an advantage by not telling me about Caroline's pregnancy! If it wasn't for my plan and Marcel's work with Tristan I would still be in the dark about all of it! They would have waited for the right moment to use my child against me!" Klaus' voice now rising, tears running down his cheeks.

"I was convinced that our enemies would never find out. And I gave Caroline my word that I would not tell you." Elijah tried to justify his actions.

"To hell with your word! I don't care Elijah! Do you even realise that this changes everything! We have to attain these stakes much faster now! I will not have their deaths on my hand!" Klaus promised.

"Neither will I." Elijah agreed.

"What am I supposed to do?" Klaus asked, letting his vulnerability show. While he was furious with his brother and wanted to rip out his spine for the betrayal, he needed his advice more than ever.

"Do what I have been trying to have you do since we arrived. Talk to our siblings. We need their help. Talk to Caroline." Elijah advised.

"They hate me. Caroline must hate me for leaving her alone like this. Not only did I abandon her, I abandoned our child as well. Even if I try, they won't pick up the phone. Not when I'm the one calling." Klaus admitted.

"Then go. Go to Mystic Falls and explain your motives and the dangers ahead." Elijah said.

"Tristan is watching my every move." Klaus answered bitterly.

"I believe we have a powerful witch on our side, don't we?"

* * *

It took him almost 24 hours, but he was finally back in Mystic Falls. After his little chat with Elijah, Klaus approached Davina, talking about ways he could go to Mystic Falls without his enemies knowing. The plan was brilliant. He had told Tristan that he would leave for Canada in search for new hybrids and to put some distance between him and Elijah who was currently annoying him. Then, Klaus had handed over a vial of blood to one of the hybrids that was secretly working for him and sent him off to Canada. Davina had made sure that if the DeMartells tried to locate him through witchcraft, which they would, they would only be able to locate that vial of blood. This way, Klaus could leave for Virginia , Elijah and Marcel were to keep the plan going and do their best to locate the white oak. Klaus made it clear that they had to pick up their pace. Their enemies needed to be dead before the birth of his child. There was no way he would put Caroline and their child in any danger.

Klaus stopped the car in front of the house he had built for his family. Once, this house had held many promises for the future. He and his family happily reunited while his hybrids protected the place and the ones inside.

He moved out of the car smoothly, casually walking up the front steps and through the front door. Inside, he focused and could make out three people inside. One was seemingly asleep in one of the bedrooms. Henrik. Klaus' heart ached remembering the way his little brother had looked at him after he snapped Rebekah's neck. Guilt, that's what he felt now that he was back.

"Nik?" Rebekah was in front of him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Hello, sister." Klaus said in greeting, giving her a shy smile.

"What are you doing here?" The shocked expression had left the blonde's face and was replaced by one of anger.

"If I remember correctly, this is still my house." Klaus said casually. He knew it would only make his sister angrier. But now that he was back, he didn't know how to handle the situation. What if Elijah had been right and this time, he wouldn't receive their forgiveness?

"Not any more." Kol appeared in front of Rebekah protectively.

"Whatever." Klaus shrugged and moved around them in search for the closest liquor.

"Tired of your kingdom already, your majesty?" Kol sneered.

"Something like that." Klaus answered, not revealing the truth yet and instead filling a glass with scotch.

"Whatever it is, you're not welcome any more." Rebekah stated.

"Now, that's rude, Bekah." Klaus said with raised eyebrows.

"Rude? You have got to be kidding me! You snapped my neck and ran away stating that none of us matter to you any more!" Rebekah exclaimed and for the first time Klaus could make out the hurt in her voice. Anger he could deal with, hurt however...

"Oh come on. We had fights worse than the last." Klaus said.

"That was before we had to think about Henrik." Kol said angrily. Klaus had to admit that he was impressed. His brother seemed to have grown into a man, finally taking responsibility.

"He'll get over it." He drowned his drink and filled the glass once more.

"He cried himself to sleep for weeks after you left!" Rebekah cried.

"And you think it was easy for me to leave, don't you?" Klaus growled, finally having heard enough. He didn't want to imagine his little brother crying over his departure.

"You certainly didn't look back!" Kol said, his voice now overtaken by emotion, too.

"I had no choice!" Klaus roared making his siblings flinch. "I did what I had to do to ensure your safety! You on the other hand had a choice. And you chose to betray me once again!"

"You cast us aside and then blame us of betrayal? I always stood by your side, Nik! No matter how often you daggered me! I never betrayed your trust!" Rebekah claimed.

"Is that so? Why didn't you tell me about Caroline and her pregnancy the moment you found out?" He demanded to know, tears in his eyes.

Kol and Rebekah stared at him, guilt washing over their faces. Klaus knew they had something to say about that matter but were just too cautious, weary even, of the fact that Klaus was showing his emotions openly.

"You didn't trust me, did you?" It was a rhetorical question, they all knew. "You thought it better to keep my child away from me, convinced that I would strip them of their innocence and turn them into the monster you believe me to be."

"Can you blame us? All these centuries, you have done nothing but undermine us. We were never allowed to do anything that didn't suit you. And if we dared do want we wanted in spite of what you said, you daggered us!" Kol finally found his voice again.

"Mikeal was after us! Someone had to keep you all safe!" Klaus insisted.

"So what? There will always be someone after us. All the enemies you created by your selfish ways! There will always be danger around the corner. But we can defend ourselves. We are not as helpless as you believe us to be!" Kol shouted, Rebekah trying to shush him, worried that Henrik might wake up and be traumatized again.

Klaus ground his teeth together. The craving for destruction nearly overtaking him.

"What Kol means to say is: We agreed with Caroline and her desire to keep the pregnancy a secret from you because we were worried. Like Henrik and Caroline, you won't be able to dagger that child. What will you do then? What will you do when you push them away, and they decide that waiting for you to come to your senses is not enough? Don't get me wrong. I know you could have been a great father. You proved that to me when we were children and you took care of me when I was scared of storms. But you have changed." Rebekah said sadly.

"All I wanted was for you to be safe." Klaus stated, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Maybe you should learn to trust the people around you. All this could have been avoided, because Elijah was right, wasn't he? You left because we were in some kind of danger. But pushing us away and keeping us in Mystic Falls was wrong. We could have helped you!" Rebekah claimed.

Kol had become quiet, letting Rebekah talk. Elijah had told Klaus exactly what Rebekah was saying and Klaus had known they would have wanted to help. But that was why he chose to keep them in the dark.

"No. I wanted to be sure you were safe, so I could focus on taking them down." Klaus finally said. It was time he told his siblings the truth, like Elijah advised. That's why he came to see them before he tried to make amends with Caroline. They had to know about the possible dangers awaiting them. He had to make sure that Kol and Rebekah were prepared to keep Henrik and Caroline safe.

"Who?" Kol asked.

"Tristan and Aurora DeMartell and Lucien Castle." Klaus revealed.

"You've got to be kidding me, Nik!" Kol exclaimed.

"How would they pose any danger to us?" Rebekah asked confused.

Klaus then told them everything. About the white oak, their threats and finally he told them how he came to know of Caroline's pregnancy. By the end, Rebekah had visibly paled and Kol's face was full of rage.

"Let's get one thing straight, Nik: I do not forgive you for what you did to us, no matter your intentions. But, I will do what it takes to help protect our family and kill these bastards." Kol promised.

Klaus nodded his thanks.

"If they come anywhere near Caroline I swear I will rip them to shreds!" Rebekah vowed.

"So, Nik. I believe it's time to ask you what you're going to do. Will you finally man up and work on your 'I'm the alpha so I am allowed to do stupid things in order to protect the ones I care about' - issues and try to be a decent father or will you abandon Caroline and your child? Because trust me, she will never let you anywhere near that child if you fail to prove your capability as a father." Kol asked with a smirk.

Klaus downed the rest of his drink. He wanted to rip out one of Kol's vital organs for the way he had voiced his question, but he was also right. Klaus had thought about it constantly since left New Orleans. He came to the conclusion that it was time for him to find peace and have a decent life instead of waging war after war. He realised that he craved the family he could now have with Caroline. He wanted to be there for them, be the father he had always wished for himself when he was a child.

"I don't think that's any of your business, brother. However, I might be inclined to humour you if you answer one question: How is she?"

* * *

**A/N: So, the first chapter is up! Did you like it? If so, feel free to let me know!**


	2. You Have No Idea

**A/N: OH. MY. GOD! You guys are simply amazing! I was literally blown away by the amount of reviews I received for the last chapter. Never have I ever got a response like that to anything I did. I love your positive vibes so, so much! You have absolutely no idea how happy you made me or how big of a smile you put on my face! Thank you!**

**However, I believe that there are some things that might need clearing up:**

** First of all, no one has ever killed an original until this point, which means that all of them are oblivious to the consequences! They will, of course, find out in time.**

**Second, Elijah didn't stay in contact with his family to focus on the task at hand and to make sure no one would find out about Caroline. With all the supernaturals in New Orleans, you can never be too sure that your conversation remains private.**

**Third, Klaus has been through a tough time in the last couple of months. A time he used to think about things that matter and reminisce his past behaviour. He is trying hard to be better. Not only for Caroline's sake, but for the sake of his siblings, too. I am open to critique about his behaviour if you feel it is too OOC. Please feel free to let me know, because I might realise you are right.**

**So, there are several reasons for this chapter's delay. Two being that I caught the flu a few weeks ago. To top that I had a ******tenosynovitis (I googled the word and hope it means the right thing) in my thumb. Plus, I'm still working two jobs while struggling with uni. Please bear with me through the long waits!  
****

****On the bright side: The chapters are longer than the ones of Lone Came The Devil. Hope you enjoy that! ****

****Enough talking. Enjoy! :)****

* * *

**Chances**

Chapter Two: You Have No Idea

* * *

_I feel a little nauseous and my hands are shaking_

_I guess that means you're close by_

_My throat is getting dry and my heart is racing_

_I haven't been by your side_

_In a minute, but I think about it sometimes_

_Even though I know it's not so distant_

_Oh, no, I still wanna reminisce it_

_What a Time - Julia Michaels ft. Niall Horan_

* * *

"Can't you just stay here?" His little brother's eyes were almost pleading. Klaus swallowed hard. He had expected that making amends with Henrik would be hard, but the little boy was too forgiving for his own good, he thought. Klaus had barely finished his explanation as Henrik told him that he wasn't mad. 'Just happy to know you're fine.', he had said. Klaus knew he didn't deserve his little brother's forgiveness, not after what he had done, how he had left him.

"You know I can't, Henrik. Not without putting all of you in more danger than you already are." Klaus answered sadly.

"Let them come, I have gotten so good with magic! I will protect you." Henrik said confidently.

"You will do no such thing. I want you to stay here, where you are safe while I go handle the situation." Klaus replied pointedly.

"Actually" Kol cut in "not a bad idea." Klaus glared at Kol. "No, really. Think about it! They have no clue whatsoever about Henrik. And he does have a point. He is powerful for his age."

"We are not putting our little brother on the front line, Kol! A few months of training does not make him a fully trained warlock. Moreover, they have witches on their side, too. Powerful witches with experience. I am perfectly capable of fighting my own battles." Klaus insisted.

"I am with Nik on this one. Henrik is far too young to be fighting along our side. And yes, I said our side, Nik. If you think we will sit here and watch you go into this alone, you're daft. You're an idiot and I'm still mad at you, but you're still my brother." Rebekah said.

"I have other plans for you." Klaus answered ominously. "I'll be back in a second."

Rebekah raised her brow as Klaus flashed out of the room.

"I want to help, Bekah!" Henrik insisted.

"Henrik, we just got you back. There is no way I will let you put yourself at risk. Just trust us to handle the situation." Rebekah replied softly.

Henrik pouted but remained silent. Kol nudged his side and winked. "Stop it, Kol!" Rebekah snarled, not oblivious to what Kol had meant to insinuate with that little gesture.

"Kindly pull that stick out of your behind, Bekah. You start to sound like Elijah." Kol replied with a groan.

"And here I thought you had finally matured." Klaus said, entering the room again.

Rebekah and Kol saw the objects Klaus had retrieved and stiffened immediately.

"I'm warning you, Niklaus. Do not even think about it!" Kol got up to his feet, positioning himself in front of Rebekah protectively.

"I'm glad to see that the matured version of yourself popped up again, Kol. That makes everything so much easier."

Klaus smirked as he tightened his grip on the daggers.

* * *

"I don't care, Bonnie!" Caroline huffed.

"Why don't I believe you?" Bonnie asked, eyebrow raised.

"You should be asking that yourself." Caroline snapped.

"Oh, come on. Can't you just leave this one to Rebekah?" Bonnie teased.

"I already did, didn't I? Of course, that was before she decided to ditch the committee at the first meeting!" Caroline ranted.

"See, you care. I know that you were waiting to plan prom since first grade, but Rebekah is right. You should focus on your pregnancy." Bonnie said.

"Yeah, I know" Caroline sighed, defeated. "But why didn't she join them today? I mean, she said she'd run the committee, so I'd have to deal with less stress. Her not showing to the meetings is stressing me so much more!"

"One meeting. And I think it's not so much about Rebekah missing a meeting but more about you being the control freak you are." Bonnie pointed out.

"Whatever." Caroline shrugged.

"You could always go and check on them. I mean, they didn't exactly tell us why they were missing today. Even if Henrik got sick, I don't see how that would force both of them to stay at home." Bonnie suggested.

"Oh my god, you're right! We should definitely make sure they're all right!" Caroline agreed a little worried. She hadn't thought about it like that. But Bonnie had a point. What could've happened that made both originals stay at home?

"Keep me posted, then. I have another period to attend. I don't see why I should miss out on my education just because they decided to ditch school today." Bonnie said.

"Wait, there is a chance of someone hurting the originals and you will let me go all by myself?" Caroline gasped.

"Oh, come on, Care. It's not like any threat could have come to Mystic Falls. Remember the barrier?" Bonnie sighed.

"Oh, right. So maybe Rebekah and Kol just got into a fight. Which means I should probably go there now and calm them down." Caroline thought out loud.

"Right. Remember to keep me posted!" Bonnie said over her shoulder.

Shortly after, Caroline entered the mansion in search for the originals. Voices were coming from the living room, but they seemed rather calm, nothing like what they sounded like when they fought. Caroline quickly moved through the house to check out what they were doing, ready to give Rebekah a piece of her mind about missing the committee meeting today.

The scene Caroline walked into, however, was nothing she had expected. Henrik was sitting on the sofa, observing the three people in front of him. Rebekah and Kol stood next to each other. What had Caroline shocked however was the man who currently had his back to her. He might not be facing her, but Caroline didn't need him to. She had spent quite some time in the past admiring this exact back. His short blonde curls were just another thing that gave him away. Her mouth went dry and her heart felt like it may jump straight out of her chest. That's when she realised that he was holding something silver in his hand. The sight of the weapons made Caroline pale and her brain stopped working for a few seconds. Her body however was highly alert and before she even realised it, Caroline had closed the distance between them and was now standing inches away from him, fist raised.

Klaus turned just in time for her to hit his face with as much force as she could muster. His head turned by the force of her hit, his body not moving an inch.

"Caroline!" The other Mikalesons shouted, shock showing on their faces.

Klaus turned his head slowly, but instead of the anger she expected, his eyes shimmered with enough guilt to make Caroline halt. She had definitely got him good, his nose bleeding but already healing.

His eyes wandered over her body, stopping at her swollen stomach. Lips slightly parted, a look of awe on his face. The look in his eyes made Caroline shiver, anxiety taking over her. Not only had she just hit Klaus, but also revealed her secret without even saying a word. Her body all the explanation one would need to understand.

"Please excuse me for a second, love. I have to wrap things up with my siblings." He finally said. His voice making Caroline's heart beat faster, though she wasn't sure whether it was from panic or something else.

Klaus was about to turn around again but Caroline stopped him with another hit to his shoulder.

"No! I will not let you hurt them!" Caroline insisted, unsure of where her bravery came from. Or was it stupidity? She didn't know. Attacking Klaus might be both; stupid and brave in equal measure.

Before she could blink, Klaus had her wrist in his hands. He held her tight without using to much of his strength, making sure she wouldn't lash out again and Caroline feared that she had crossed the line once and for all. His grip might not hurt, but that could change in the blink of an eye, Caroline knew. There was no way Klaus would let this go unpunished. But once again, he surprised her.

"I'd appreciate it if you would cut down on the violence for now. I assure you, I do not intend to hurt them." The lack of anger in his demeanour confused Caroline. How could he still be so calm?

"It's okay, Care." Rebekah reassured her.

Once again Klaus turned around, after letting go of her wrists, this time without being stopped by Caroline.

"As I was saying, I entrust you with these. Make sure to keep them safe." Klaus addressed his siblings.

Kol reached out, grabbing the daggers from Klaus' hands, still overwhelmed by the fact that Klaus was finally giving them up.

"You better not expect them back someday." Kol said.

"There will be no need for them if you prove yourselves capable with living without the attitude you have shown me over the centuries." Klaus answered.

"Thank you, Nik." Rebekah smiled, happy that she was finally free of the fear of being daggered and thrown into a coffin for decades.

"We will continue this conversation later. I may have already handed these over, but there is still one thing I want you to do for me in exchange for those. But don't fret, my favour will include your safety above all else." Klaus added almost kindly.

Kol and Rebekah nodded, while Klaus turned around.

"Now, love, I believe we're in dire need of a chat."

Caroline was confused to say the least. Not only did she hit Klaus while he remained perfectly calm, but he had just handed his siblings the one thing he had always used to control them. The man in front of her looked and sounded exactly like Klaus but his actions were the exact opposite.

"Actually, I came here to check up on my friends. Now that I know they are not ripping each others heads off, I'll be on my way." Caroline finally found her voice and turned around, eager to get the hell away from him. She was nearly at the front door when he flashed in front of her, making her stop in her tracks.

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why I'm here, love?" Klaus asked.

"Nope. And by the way, don't call me love." She snapped.

"Hear me out. Please." Klaus pleaded.

"Why would I want to hear you out after everything you have done? After what you have said during our conversation on the phone?" Caroline felt anger overcoming her. His words were still hunting her until this day.

"I had my reasons for what I said. Im so-" He was cut off.

"No. You don't even get to apologise. You don't mean it anyway, so why bother? Just save it for someone who actually cares about a single thing you say!" She almost yelled.

"Nik, leave her. This conversation is obviously straining for her." Rebekah put her hand on Klaus' shoulder.

"Come on, darling, I'll take you home." Rebekah looked at Caroline.

"Thanks, but I think I need to be alone for a while." Caroline then left.

"I think she might be mad." Kol chipped in from behind him.

"Don't make me regret giving you the daggers, Kol." Klaus snarled.

"Give her time, Nik. This is a lot for her to take in." Rebekah tried to calm him down.

"How am I supposed to explain myself when she won't hear me out?" Klaus complained.

"It's her decision. Just like it was your decision to leave us the way you did." Rebekah said.

"Yeah, you kinda brought this on you yourself." Kol agreed.

Klaus groaned, annoyed that his siblings were right. Annoyed that Caroline wouldn't even talk to him.

"Why don't we give her some time to calm down while you tell us more about this favour you want in exchange for our freedom." Kol suggested.

* * *

Caroline was a panting mess when she closed the door to her room. This was real, she thought. He had actually come back. Obviously, his siblings had forgiven him if the fact that they were not a bloodied mess when she arrived was anything to go by. He had even given them the daggers. If Caroline wasn't so unbelievably mad at him, she might be inclined to acknowledge these positive changes in him. But she was mad and not a fool. Klaus always had an agenda. There was no way he had given the weapons up just like that. 'There is still one thing I want you to do for me in exchange for those'. That's what he had said. But it was not Klaus-like to give up something before he had received whatever it was he was supposed to get in return first. This could mean that he was telling the truth about his wish for their safety.

And just like that, Caroline was spiralling in lot of what-ifs and possible explanations for his past behaviour. Something she had sworn she wouldn't do again. There was no need to justify his actions when they were nothing but calculated and evil. Even if there was a reason behind his disappearance, the things he had done before leaving were all him. His choice. Therefore, he had to deal with the consequences. One of them being her refusal to hear him out.

Caroline groaned. So much for finally starting to get over him. She had thought she was making progress and of course, he had to show up out of the blue. She had always shrugged it off when her friends asked her how she was coping with his absence like it was no big deal. Little did they know that she kept the drawing and a printed version of their picture in her drawer. Even less did they know that for months, she would always look at these two items before going to bed, wishing he had never left her. She knew that most people would call her behaviour pathetic, but that was her way of dealing with another harsh rejection. Plus, she had never thought that he would actually come back. Not after everything he had said to her and his siblings.

Deciding that drowning in self-pity was not worth it, she decided to take a nap. That would allow her body to at least calm down from the overflow of emotions. Rebekah was right, the confrontation had strained her. The numerous emotions she was feeling after that were draining her. There was nothing better than a nap to recharge before coming up with a plan. And maybe her mom would be home once she awoke. Honestly, her mother was the only one she wanted to talk to right now. The only one that could make her see sense through all this emotional mess.

_Blinding lights greeted her once she awoke, making her shut her eyes again, not ready to face another day. Sleepily, she turned around in the soft sheets._

_"Good morning, love." An accented voice greeted her._

_"Not yet." Caroline replied, nonplussed by the fact that she wasn't alone in her bed._

_"I can change that." He replied, getting closer and embracing her._

_"Just five more minutes, please." Caroline pleaded._

_She didn't get to hear the reply as a cry echoed through the room._

_"Urgh!" Caroline voiced her objection to the noise._

_"It's fine, my love, I'll get up." A soft kiss was placed on her head before the man disappeared from the bed._

_Caroline snuggled deeper into the blankets, relieved that she hadn't had to get up. The cries soon died down and Caroline smiled._

_Her relief was short-lived however as the man returned._

_"Will you look at that? Mommy is still sleeping." The man said, confusing Caroline. Her brain was suddenly grasping the fact that she was alone when she fell asleep._

_A soft giggle alerted Caroline farther. She sat up, looking in the direction the sounds came from. Her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open. Klaus stood next to the bed holding a toddler in his arms. To add pleasure to pain, Klaus was currently wearing only what looked like his pyjama bottoms, his torso completely exposed._

_"Looks like we woke her up." Klaus said, looking at the child who, in return, smiled brightly at him._

_Klaus sat down on the bed next to her and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Caroline was too confused to even react to the fact that she had sworn not to fall for him again. The softness of his lips on the other hand were realised by her brain._

_"What are you doing?" She finally asked._

_"Well, I got our little trouble-maker ready for the day. I thought I'd dress too before cooking breakfast. I didn't mean to disturb you, my love." Klaus replied apologetic._

_"Okay, since when am I your love?" Caroline said between clenched teeth._

_Klaus chuckled. "I know you're not a morning person, but acting like we never married because I accidentally woke you from your dreams is a bit harsh, don't you think?"_

_It took a few seconds for Caroline to process what he had said. "What?" She shrieked._

_Klaus' eyes grew wide in surprise. "Ok, I can take a hint. Looks like daddy will be cooking breakfast without changing." He addressed the baby again and walked out of the room._

_This must be a joke, Caroline thought. There was no way this was real. Maybe Klaus was pulling some weird mind trick with her to make her more lenient to listen to him. Or this was a simple dream. Not like Caroline didn't have dreams like this one before. Actually, more like on a regular basis._

_Ok, Caroline thought, focus. You have to wake up! But nothing happened._

_"All right!" Caroline groaned and got out of bed._

_Not even bothering to change, she went after Klaus. The house was unfamiliar but nice anyway, Caroline decided._

_Once she found the kitchen, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Klaus interact with what she supposed was their child. He seemed happy and unguarded. A very rare look on the paranoid hybrid. It suited him, she had to admit._

_"I see you decided to skip changing out of your sleeping attire as well." Klaus pointed out._

_"I saw no point in changing." Caroline shrugged. She'd wake up soon anyway so why bother._

_Klaus smirked, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Coffee is ready."_

_Caroline nodded and strolled over to grab herself a cup. However, Klaus was blocking her way. Caroline raised a brow in question and he smiled. Genuinely and dimples in foll glory. Then, he grabbed her waist to pull her closer._

_He looked down at her before engaging her in a passionate kiss. Caroline swore she could get lost in the feel of his lips on her._

Her eyes snapped open and she quickly checked her bed. She was back in her room and alone. Releasing a heavy sigh, Caroline chose to ignore the tugging feeling in her chest. The dream had been intense but so wonderful. It was everything she had hoped for before Klaus had left. But most importantly, it wasn't real. Klaus was an asshole. That was a fact that wouldn't be changing. Like, ever.

Then, she picked up sounds from the kitchen. Figuring that her mom must have got home while she was sleeping, Caroline got out of bed. She was nervous to find out what her mother would say about the day she had had. His return. Of course, Caroline wouldn't tell her about the dream. She never told anyone about the dreams.

Once out of her room, Caroline could make out various smells. Sometimes, her mother cooked (horribly!), but mostly it had been take-out or food Caroline had cooked. It didn't smell like take-out and Caroline was slightly impressed that this time her mother succeeded in making the food smell good at least.

"What are you cooking? It smells delicious!" Caroline said as she entered.

"Simple home-made mushed potatoes on the side with chicken stuffed with mozzarella cheese. I hope it's to your taste, sweetheart." For the second time that day, Caroline ran into Klaus expectantly.

"Why are you in my house?" Caroline asked carefully.

"I came because I wanted to talk to you. I didn't want to wake you, so I decided to make you and your mother dinner instead." Klaus explained.

"Seriously?" Exasperation was clearly in her voice. He had broken into the Sheriff's house, watched her daughter sleep and cooked them dinner. If it wasn't for the fact that she was really annoyed at this point, Caroline would laugh.

"Well, I had no chance to take care of you and our baby until now. I figured it was about time." Klaus defended his actions.

"Did I miss something? Because I certainly didn't ask for you to 'take care' of me!" Caroline complained.

"That's true. You didn't ask. You also failed to inform me in any kind of your pregnancy and my impending fatherhood to give me a chance to decide whether I want to be involved." Klaus pointed out.

"You made that decision yourself when you left!" Caroline replied.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. I may have made the decision to leave, but it was for your safety." Klaus took the food from the stove and picked up a plate. Caroline felt like she had entered a parallel universe. Klaus moved around her kitchen like it was the most natural thing ever, preparing a meal for her. Maybe she was still asleep after all?

"Here." Klaus put the plate down on the table, indicating for her to have a seat.

"You have impeccable timing, love." He smiled.

"I told you to stop calling me that." Caroline snapped. "And don't get the wrong impression. I'm really hungry. So me eating the food you cooked does not mean I actually care about anything you have to say. And it certainly doesn't mean that I want you to take care of me. Understood?"

Klaus bowed his head slightly in understanding.

Caroline glared at him one more time before taking a seat and tugging in. She had to admit that it was as good as it smelled. Not that she'd give him the satisfaction of pointing that out.

"Do you like it?" Klaus asked hopefully.

"It's okay, I guess." Caroline shrugged.

Klaus looked disappointed but Caroline ignored the look on his face. He didn't deserve her praise. Hell, he didn't even deserve her attention to be honest.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to explain." Klaus started the conversation again.

"Actually, I do." Fake smile plastered on her face.

"You should at least listen to me. I have to leave in the morning." Klaus said.

"Wow. You blame me for not involving you and now that you know, you only stay for a day? You do realise that this kinda proves my point, right?" Caroline pointed out, not bothering to hide her anger.

"If you'd let me explain, you'd know that it's not from lack of desire to be with you and our child." Klaus answered.

"Let me guess: it's for our safety." Caroline rolled her eyes. Nope, that wouldn't change her mind. He was Klaus Mikaelson, for heaven's sake! The invincible hybrid. No threat could be big enough to make him run from what he truly wants.

"This is serious, Caroline." Klaus insisted.

"Whatever. Why don't you do all of us a favour and go back to your stupid kingdom?" Caroline challenged.

"Enough!" Klaus growled, his patience wavering. "Why won't you let me talk to you?"

"Because you have no idea what I had to endure when you were gone! My best friend hates me because I'm carrying the child of the man that put her and so many others through so much pain. The entire town looks at me like I'm the dirt under their shoes. I'm having a magical baby while you play King in that stupid Kingdom of yours, not bothering who you hurt in the process. Because even through all the pain I felt because of you, I have caught myself wishing that, somehow, I would be able to forgive you for everything you have done. Because you have no idea how hard it is to get over the father of your unborn child." Caroline got so lost in her rant that she didn't realise what she had said until it was too late. Her eyes were wide in shock.

Klaus' eyes mirrored various emotions, making him look so vulnerable.

"But you can't. You can't forgive me." It wasn't a question. His voice sounded broken, somehow.

Caroline's eyes filled with tears. Slightly, she shook her head, not trusting her voice any more.

Klaus looked up and swallowed hard. If Caroline didn't know better, she'd think that he was fighting off tears.

"I asked Rebekah and Kol for a favour. The barrier will be lifted for a few moments in two days. That gives you enough time to pack your things. My siblings will take you somewhere safe. No one will be able to find you. Not even me." Klaus explained and Caroline realised that this must be the favour he had asked for in exchange for the daggers.

"I know you don't want to hear it. But I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused you. Maybe you'll find it in yourself to believe me that I only had your well-being on my mind. One day, maybe in a century or two, you'll be able to forgive me." With that, Klaus stood and walked out of her house, leaving Caroline alone with her tears. She was seriously not over him and it was killing her.


	3. The Appointment

**Chances**

Chapter 3: The Appointment  


* * *

_Taste me, these salty tears on my cheeks_

_That's what a year-long headache does to you_

_I'm not okay, I feel so scattered_

_Don't say I'm all that matters_

_Leave me, déjà vu_

_If you need me, wanna see me_

_You better hurry, I'm leaving soon_

_listen before i go - Billie Eilish_

* * *

For an embarrassing long time he stared at the screen, trying to comprehend the letters that were shining back at him. He didn't know what had brought the change upon, didn't know exactly what was lying ahead of him, but he didn't mind one bit. The words were more than he had hoped for after the disaster that was their last conversation. He was convinced she would barely ever speak to him again, that he had to move heaven and earth to get as much as one word that wasn't spat in his face with anger or worse, fear. But here he was, clawing at his phone like it was his lifeline.

**Caroline:**

**10 a.m. MF Hospital.**

**Be there if you want to be involved.**

It wasn't much, but he was grateful for the surprising change of mind and would not let this opportunity pass him. Rebekah had informed him that Caroline had to check in with a doctor more often than pregnant women usually did to make sure she and the baby were actually fine.

Well, that was about two hours ago and now the hybrid stood in front of said hospital waiting for the blonde to arrive. He was early, he knew, but for some reason he was nervous. An alien feeling for him. Almost ridiculous. He was the most powerful being to walk the earth, and yet he seemed to have nothing on any other human male that was to become a father for the first time. Mixing in his confusion about Caroline's sudden change of mind, he was certain his emotional capacity for the day had reached its limit.

* * *

Caroline felt the anxiety taking over, her palms becoming a sweaty mess.

"This was a mistake. We should turn around. I'm sure Dr. Fell will be able to reschedule our appointment."

"No, we are not turning around, Caroline." Rebekah insisted. "You said yourself that you should have listened to him yesterday. That you want to give him the chance to be a part of this."

"Yes, that was then and this is now!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Calm down, everything will be fine. And if my brother decides to act like an arse again I will kick him out." Rebekah promised.

"Do you think he will actually come? I mean he said he needed to leave today. Maybe he already headed back to New Orleans?" Caroline hoped.

"Nope. I've seen him this morning when he received your text. He will be there." Rebekah assured her friend.

"You did? What did he do?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing. He stared at the screen for an awfully long time. I think he was overwhelmed. You should have seen him last night when he got back from your place. Now, I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to feel at least a fraction of the pain he inflicted on us, but he was a mess. I don't think he slept at all last night." Rebekah said.

"Well, I only told him the truth." And revealed more than I had wanted to, Caroline added in her mind. Yes, that stupid confession. She could have built a neon sign that read 'I'm still kinda in love with you' and it wouldn't have made a difference. Why did she have to reveal her trouble of getting over him to him of all people?

"And he deserved to hear it. But I have to say, I'm kind of impressed with Liz." Rebekah admitted. It had been Caroline's mother who had cleared her daughter's head and helped her figure out what she wanted. In spite of how much Klaus had hurt her daughter, she still managed to keep a clear head and give her daughter the advise she needed. 'Give him the chance if you want him to be a part of your child's life, if you think he is worth it'.

Caroline had come to the conclusion that, yes, she needed to keep her child away from bad influence. But she should also make sure she did everything she could to provide them with a life as normal as possible. Keeping the father away might not be the best way to do so. Klaus should at least be given the chance to be there for his own child. After all, the kid would someday ask why his father wasn't around. And Caroline didn't want to be blamed for that. No, if Klaus messed up again, she would at least be able to tell their child the truth without feeling guilty.

Even if that meant she had to interact with him again. Her heart was looking forward to it, not quite over him yet. However, the rational part of her knew that it would hurt. Also, it was bound to be really hard to resist him and keep her heart in check and her brain in charge of making the decisions. She wouldn't let him hurt her like that again. That meant she had to get over him and not hope against hope that somehow they would end up together. Because that was something that wouldn't happen. It couldn't. Not if Caroline had to make sure not to get hurt again. She had to protect herself from the things she felt about him in order to focus on her child.

Just then they came to a stop in front of the hospital. Her eyes found Klaus standing in front of the doors already waiting for them. Her heart skipped a beat and she cursed inwardly. Resisting him will definitely be a challenge.

"Let's go." Rebekah pushed, and they got out of the car, making their way to the entrance of the hospital.

Rebekah smiled weakly at her brother who nodded in return.

"So, you're still here." Caroline began.

"My return can wait another few hours." Klaus affirmed.

The tension was thick in the air. Caroline still unsure about her decision, Klaus being nervous and trying his best not to show it. Rebekah eyed them curiously and felt sad for the circumstances. She knew that with Caroline, her brother could get what he had been craving since he was human. Love. But at the same time, he had sabotaged his own happiness with his actions. No matter his intention, he had broken the trust Caroline had built in him. Destroyed the girls image of the man that hid underneath the volatile monster.

"I'll be right back. You two go ahead." Rebekah said, thinking they should probably have the opportunity to talk without her presence for a while.

Caroline looked at her, eyes pleading, but Rebekah simply smiled and turned around.

"Let's get this over with." Caroline murmured and started to walk, Klaus close on her heals.

Inside, they were directed to the room Caroline grew accustomed to and instructed to wait for Dr. Fell who currently had some errand to attend to but would be with them shortly.

The silence was making Caroline nervous. Klaus seemed to be deep in thought and Caroline didn't dare start the conversation. Damn Rebekah for leaving her alone, she thought.

"Thank you." Klaus finally said, surprising Caroline. "For inviting me to come along."

"Well, I thought you might as well get the chance to at least join me once." Caroline answered a little shy.

"I know I should have been here every single time." Klaus began.

"Don't. I get it. Rebekah was pretty mad at you, you know? But now she seems to trust you again. While I know that her love for you blinds her to a certain degree, she would not forgive you as easily this time. You have gained Kol's trust, too. Whatever happened, or is still happening, in New Orleans would probably scare the shit out of me. I mean, it obviously scared you enough to do what you did. While I stand by what I said before, I decided that I should trust you. At least when it comes to your family's safety. I mean, you have a serious problem about how to protect the ones you care about, catering them around in coffins and all, but you did succeed in the end. And the fact that you're here, wanting to be involved, convinces me to trust you with our child's safety, too." Caroline interrupted.

"You are part of our family, Caroline. And so is our child. I will never let any harm come to either of you." He vowed solemnly.

Their eyes met and Caroline could see that he was telling the truth. It was one of the rare moments where Klaus actually allowed himself to show emotion.

"Just promise me one thing." Caroline said. "When the danger has been dealt with, think about it. Only come back and be a part of our life if you intend to be there always. Not for me, but the child. I know what it feels like to have an absentee father and no matter how irrational you know it is, you will find ways to blame yourself for their absence. To find the reason for them abandoning you inside yourself."

The words hit Klaus hard. She was not only giving him a choice, but she was opening up about her own feelings, the emotional pain her father had inflicted on her. He could only relate, more so. His 'father' had chased and tried to kill him for a millennium, after all.

"Never. I will protect our child. Always and forever." Klaus promised.

"I will hold you to that statement, then." Caroline smiled and Klaus returned it without a second thought.

"Sorry for the wait." Dr. Fell excused herself upon entering.

"Don't worry." Caroline said with a wave of her hand.

"I'm Dr. Meredith Fell." She introduced herself as she saw the new face.

"Klaus Mikaelson." Klaus said shortly.

"The father, I presume?" Meredith asked.

"Yes, that would be him." Caroline affirmed.

"It's nice to see you involved, Mr. Mikaelson." The doctor added kindly.

Klaus nodded.

"So, Ms. Forbes. How are you? Was there anything different since our last appointment?" Dr. Fell asked.

"I feel good. Everything is going well, I think." Caroline answered.

What followed was another routine appointment. Checking her weight, blood pressure, and a few vials of blood were taken. Klaus watched all of this like a hawk and Caroline could see he was holding himself back when the doctor proceeded to take the blood. Thankfully, Klaus managed to appear almost impassive to the doctor, not making her unnecessarily uncomfortable.

In the end, Caroline was sat on the examination chair while Dr. Fell prepared for the ultra sound.

"Forgive me for asking again, but now that Mr. Mikaelson has joined us as well, I was wondering whether you still stand by your decision concerning the gender?" Dr. Fell asked.

Caroline looked at Klaus for an answer. She had previously stated that she didn't want to know the gender, yet. It didn't matter that much to her. Not when the pregnancy itself was a miracle. All she wanted was for her child to be born healthy and without major issues. But now that Klaus was here too, she wondered if he wanted to know. Chances were high that he would not be able to make it back in time for his child's birth.

Klaus' eyes met hers, and she could see that he was once again holding back, probably not wanting to upset her with saying the wrong thing.

"We want to know." Caroline stated.

Klaus shifted in his chair, a bit uncomfortable. This entire situation still seemed so impossible to him. He settled on keeping his gaze on the screen to stop himself from overthinking the situation.

That only worked until he actually saw his child appear on screen, the heartbeat filling the room. The air was sucked out of his lungs, eyes widened. So much for having reached his emotional limit for the day. His mouth opened slightly.

Caroline watched Klaus, and she could swear her heart was swelling in her chest. He looked perfectly human in this moment. Awed at seeing his child for the first time. Hesitantly, Caroline reached out and placed her hand over his softly. That seemed to have thrown him out of his trance as his eyes moved to both their hands and then to her.

"Ms. Forbes, Mr. Mikaelson. It looks like you're going to be the parents of a very healthy little boy." Dr. Fell informed them.

Klaus' eyes switched back to the screen, looking at his son with a smile grazing his lips. Caroline's brain was reminding her not to let herself be so engulfed in his reaction. The way her heart beat a fair warning that she was dancing on the edge, in danger of falling madly in love with him instead of keeping her promise of never letting him back in like that.

A boy, she thought, smiling to herself. She could already hear Rebekah groaning at the fact that there was still no new female addition to the Mikaelson family. But Caroline was excited and had to hold herself back not to fall into her control-freak ways and start discussing names then and there. Instead, she revelled in the happy moment.

A few minutes later, they exited the hospital.

"Urgh! Your sister is the worst!" Caroline complained.

"What's wrong?" He asked, slightly concerned.

"She ditched me! Look! She sent me a text saying she is at Bonnie's, waiting for me there. Can you believe her? God, how am I supposed to raise another Mikaelson when all you and your siblings do is drive me absolutely nuts!" Caroline groaned.

"I'll give you a ride." Klaus offered immediately, barely containing the laughter.

"No. She wants to know what happened? Well, she will have to come to me, then." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"So, you'd rather stay in the hospital's parking lot than accepting a ride from me?" Klaus asked smirking.

"Wrong again. I will let you drive me to the Grill so you can buy me lunch." Caroline stated.

Klaus chuckled lightly.

"Well, then I will do just that." Klaus agreed, far too happy that Caroline was willingly spending time with him again.

"Don't get any ideas though. I'm still seriously mad at you!" Caroline pointed a finger at him.

"Lunch should win me some brownie points then, right?" Klaus teased.

"Brownies! Yes!" Caroline's eyes grew wide.

"Whatever the lady desires." Klaus winked at her.

The Grill was just starting to get busy when they arrived. School was over for the day and many students met up to chat and play pool.

The pair chose a booth at the far corner and placed their order. To Caroline's disappointment, they didn't serve brownies. Instead, she opted for a chocolate milkshake.

"I thought by now you had to be back in New Orleans?" Caroline said.

"Well, I cannot stay for that long now. But that won't stop me from enjoying lunch for now." Klaus said.

"How long will you be gone?" Caroline asked.

Klaus sighed. "It will be a while. Although I have a good reason to speed things up now."

"Isn't there anything we could do to help you?" Caroline inquired.

"Careful, love. I might get the impression you actually want me to be with you all the time." Klaus joked.

"Now that sounds like a bit of a stretch, doesn't it?" Caroline teased.

"I wouldn't mind." Klaus stated seriously, his gaze getting intense. Caroline shivered.

"Ok, stop. I am tolerating you for our son's sake. So please keep the flirting to a minimum." Caroline said sternly.

"Go ahead, keep telling that to yourself. But don't expect me to believe you. I saw the way you looked at me all day. The way your body was craving my presence. You are fighting a battle against yourself. For good reason, I admit. But let me tell you this: I will do everything I can, not only to be a good father, but to make you want me again. To make you mine. You may fight, but in the end, you will let yourself fall back into my arms. Not because you lost, but because, in the end, we will both win." Klaus promised.

"You had your chance. You blew it. And I don't even want to know why. All I know is that I did enough waiting when I was with Tyler. I let every mistake he made slide because I was naive enough to believe he would put me first. If not today, then someday in the future. But I'm done with that." Caroline explained.

"What you said before the doctor came in. How you wanted me to think about everything once my enemies have been taken out. Just know that there is absolutely no doubt that I will be back. I believed you would be safer without me, that I needed to make absolute sure that you would not seek me out on your own in order to keep you safe. I knew that you would be hurt initially, but you are strong, Caroline. So I never doubted that you would stand strong until I came back to ask your forgiveness and tell you the truth about everything. Being away from you was tormenting me, but I resisted the urge to apologise to you the seconds those cruel words left my mouth." Klaus explained and Caroline could feel her heart beating way too fast. "All I wanted was for you to be safe. For my family to be safe. We just got Henrik back and parting from him felt like losing him all over again. But I had to keep you safe. So, there's the difference between me and Lockwood. You bring it out in me, Caroline. You have ever since that fateful night I walked into your room. I finally let myself be happy again, truly live a life worth living. And it was all because of you. Yes, I have been an absolute arse in the past, but never doubt my intention when it comes to you or my family. Because I will gladly sacrifice everything to keep you safe and out of harms way."

Caroline was rendered speechless. Basically, the confession Klaus just casually made was everything she ever wanted. He put her safety above his own and included her in the small circle of people he ever cared about. The vicious hybrid she first met disappeared right in front of her and a kind man appeared, sitting in front of her, full of hope to receive her forgiveness for his wrongs. She wondered how often he had opened up like this in his life. If he had ever let anyone close enough to do so.

"Prove it." Caroline whispered. "Prove that you meant what you just said."

"I will." He promised determinedly.

Simultaneously, they heard a group of girls gossip just a few tables away from them. While Caroline simply rolled her eyes, used to their hurtful words, Klaus felt his blood beginning to boil. One thing they uttered was more ridiculous than the next.

"Tell me they don't truly believe that utter bullshit?" Klaus asked, remembering Caroline's words from the night before.

"Oh, they truly do. They live for gossip. I would know." Caroline affirmed.

Klaus raised an eyebrow in question.

"I was head cheerleader, remember?" Caroline pointed out.

Klaus heard another ridiculous rumour and instead of getting angrier, he found that he wasn't able to control a snort escaping him.

"You're after my money, then? What is the modern term for men that keep young girls in their bed for money?" Klaus mused.

"Sugar daddy?" Caroline helped out.

Klaus grinned at her, showing of his teeth and dimples. The amusement was clear in his eyes and Caroline knew that whatever was to come out of his mouth next wouldn't be good.

"Love, I told you not to call me that in public. Just imagine the rumours if someone was to overhear you." Klaus chastised.

"You absolute asshat!" Caroline threw a tissue at him while Klaus chuckled and Caroline couldn't help but grin too.

That little stunt had the cheerleaders looking at them curiously. For all they knew, Klaus had fled from Caroline, not wanting to be involved with a 'gold digging whore' any longer. The scene in front of them looked more like a regular couple, or at least friends.

Over lunch, Klaus and Caroline had returned to their friendly banter and Caroline was relieved that he didn't bring up the topic of getting back together up again. She knew she wasn't ready for any of that yet. First, she had to focus on their son and getting out of town like Klaus had requested. Then, she would have to figure out how to properly raise a kid. Also, he had to earn the right to ever touch her in a romantic way ever again. She wouldn't forgive him so easily.

Klaus paid their lunch and cracked a few more jokes about how she was only after her money. On their way out, they passed the group of girls that had yet to stop talking about the two vampires. Not knowing that they would be able to make out their whispers, the girls continued their commentary.

"I have to give her credit for his looks. Hopefully their child takes after his side of the family." one of them said.

"Yes. I mean, imagine being ugly and unwanted. That poor child is cursed already." the other agreed.

That made Klaus tense. H wanted to rip that one particular girl to shreds. If it wasn't for the fact that killing people in the most crowded place in town would unsettle the beautiful blonde next to him, the entire room would have been painted red by now.

"I still don't get how such an arrogant and insecure slut got someone like him to get her pregnant. Do you think she got him drunk first? I mean, I don't see a guy like him touching her willingly" yet another girl pointed out.

Caroline released a faint sigh and Klaus knew that all of that was bothering her more than she let on. Hoping she wouldn't punch his face in, Klaus turned his body so that he stood in front of Caroline. She came to an abrupt halt and looked at him in question. When his eyes found the group behind her for a few seconds, she panicked a little. He wouldn't, or would he?

Before Caroline could ask or do anything else, Klaus had put both of his hands on her face and pulled her closer for a kiss.

Her eyes widened in surprise but soon closed as the hole that has been inside of Caroline's heart for a few months slowly sewed itself back together. Without thinking, Caroline kissed him back and wound her arms around his neck. His lips were softer than she remembered and the feeling of being so close to him so much better than any dream she has had.

Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last forever and Klaus released her. They looked inside each other's eyes and found the reflection of longing they both felt.

"That was unexpected." Caroline whispered.

"Shh, love. Wouldn't want to ruin the show." Klaus replied softly. In that moment she finally realised what he was doing and grinned.

"Let's get you home, love."

* * *

**AN: I know, it's been a minute. And when I say a minute, I mean over a month. **

**But you got a chapter filled with Klaroline. So, that's something, right? **

**Also, instead of explaining the long wait I decided to simply upload another chapter since I'm sure you'd rather read more of the story and less excuses. It will probably be up as well within the next hour, I think. So, two chapters in one day! *yaaay*  
**


	4. Agony

**Chances**

Chapter Four: Agony  


* * *

_There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man_

_And bring him to the ground_

_You can beat him, you can cheat him_

_You can treat him bad and leave him when he's down_

_Another One Bites The Dust - Queen  
_

* * *

Dr. Fell was once again going through the details and Caroline barely refrained from throwing a tantrum. Rebekah and her mother had become so much worse ever since they had moved into the safe house two months ago. Somedays Caroline even regretted making her mother come with her for the time being. But of course, there was no way she would leaver her human mother in Mystic Falls when there were dangerous vampires after her and her child. Her mother would make just the perfect hostage. Also, Caroline really needed her mother's support for the upcoming birth of the newest Mikaelson.

But seriously, Liz and Rebekah put the term overbearing on an entirely new level and Caroline had a hard time containing her disapproval of their actions. Like the daily routine of having Meredith explain everything concerning the birth over and over again in the mornings. All she wanted was to join the guys and read some comics, play random video games or simply watch movies. But no, she was stuck with the obsessed woman that could not wait for Caroline to finally push out the baby.

Caroline zoned out to the day at the Grill where Klaus had kissed her out of the blue before saying good-bye a few minutes later when he dropped her off at home. She had been so focused on resisting his flirtations, that the sudden physical approach had thrown her off. Nevertheless, she wasn't mad, even though she should be. After all, she swore to herself that she would not let herself be drawn into him again. But the kiss had been proof for what he had said. In the end, she would probably end up exactly where she had been before he left. Which was madly in love with a pretty old man that looked way to good.

The things he had said still stuck with her, and she was convinced that he would stand by his word. He would give anything if it meant their safety. Day by day, she found that her anger towards him ebbed down. She knew the distance between them was punishing him more than she could have ever done herself. Her resistance to his attempts to reconcile would probably not hold for too long.

But maybe this time around things would be different. Raising a child is bound to change things up, right? He wouldn't leave them to their own devices. Not after the declaration at the Grill. She was his family. He cared about her and their unborn son. They could be a family. Something she had wanted ever since she was a little girl but lost hope once she had been turned.

For that to become a reality, however, Klaus needed to make it out of New Orleans unharmed. On their journey here, Rebekah had insisted to tell Caroline the entire truth. Something she had denied Klaus to do. And just like Caroline had anticipated, it was horrible. Klaus and Elijah were in serious danger of being staked with white oak. Naturally, it didn't sit too well with Caroline to sit and wait in the safe house. She wanted to help them but knew that as long as she was pregnant she'd be more of a weakness than any proper help.

But they had yet to hear from Davina. She was the only one able to locate and contact them. Klaus had ordered Kol and Rebekah to make sure they all stayed on the house's property for as long as they hadn't heard from Davina. It was taking them way too long and Caroline feared the worst. After all, their enemies had planned on taking down Caroline and taking her baby. There was no way they hadn't found out about their disappearance by now. No, something was bound to happen very soon. She couldn't imagine this Tristan guy being calm about the fact that his master plan faded away.

Then, there was this woman called Aurora. Rebekah had told Caroline about her past with Klaus. While Caroline wasn't as insecure as she used to be, she wondered whether Klaus decided to simply join his old love and forget about the trouble he would need to go through to be with Caroline instead. Rebekah and Kol both assured her that Aurora was insane and that Klaus would never in a million years leave Caroline and his son behind for that mad woman. For now, she had to believe that in order to remain sane. Her emotions were seriously all over the place.

Whenever Caroline was alone, she tried to come up with a plan to help Klaus and Elijah out once her child was born and safe. There was no way she would let them fight that battle alone. Not if they failed to win after all the time that has passed. Maybe they needed the power of Caroline Forbes to finally subdue the threat.

* * *

"You brainless imbeciles!" Tristan roared, throwing a vase at one of the witches, successfully killing her in the process. "How hard can it be to locate a baby vampire?!"

"Easy there, man. Killing off all our witches won't solve the problem." Lucien pointed out.

Tristan exhaled and straightened his suit in an attempt to calm himself.

"Don't you think it's curious that the pregnant girl, her mother and the other originals vanish shortly after Klaus excused himself and went off to Canada?" Lucien mused.

"Our witches located him every hour. He wasn't even close to Mystic Falls. And he returned with freshly turned hybrids. Canadian hybrids, to be exact." Tristan said annoyed.

"Yes, but think for a second. The baby vamp obviously has a witch on her side. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to hide from the locator spells. And if she has witch assistance.." Lucien elaborated.

"Then Niklaus does too." Tristan concluded through gritted teeth. "Tell me again who went missing with Ms. Forbes"

"Elizabeth Forbes, Rebekah and Kol Mikaelson, Stefan Salvatore, some guy called Joshua, that human called Mathew and some teenager called Bonnie." Lucien listed.

"Bonnie Bennett." One of the witches said.

"You know her?" Tristan asked.

"Not personally, no. But she comes from one of the oldest lines. Ayana, a powerful witch that lived during the same time Esther Mikaelson lived, is part of that bloodline." The witch elaborated.

"So you're telling me that Ms. Forbes is in contact with a powerful witch you failed to inform me about?" Tristan growled.

"Bennetts usually despise the vampire species. There was no way for us to know she would help them protect the abomination that will be born soon." The witch tried to apologise.

"At least now we know how they managed to vanish. All we have to do now is find out how to break through the spell Bennett is using to hide that girl from us." Lucien stated.

"Niklaus knew about this." Tristan stated. "I don't know how he did it, but he obviously wasn't in Canada. He played us for fools and travelled back to Mystic Falls where he found out about his child. Call him, it's time to make sure that Niklaus will not be able to cross us again."

* * *

Klaus sat in front of the bar downing another bourbon in one go.

"Could you please drown whatever it is that's bothering you somewhere else? I'd like to close up the store." Cami told him.

"Leave the keys and I will lock the door once I leave." Klaus drawled.

"And have you drink all the liquor we have here? No." Cami said. "You know, if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen."

Klaus huffed. Talking to that human bartender wouldn't change the fact that he turned out to be an utter failure. His son would be born soon, and he would probably not be able to be there and witness his first moments. Instead, he was stuck in this godforsaken town because neither he nor Elijah were able to locate that bloody wood. How hard could it possibly be?

"Fine. I'm leaving." Klaus growled and reached for the bottle. Cami decided that picking a fight with him would probably not end well for her right now. He was even moodier than usual, and she had no desire to be at the receiving end of his rage. Throwing him out of the bar was enough for one evening.

Without another word Klaus flashed away and out into the night. He ran home in the hopes to receive good news for once. Maybe Elijah had finally made some progress.

"Brother, I'm home." Klaus yelled upon entering.

"And heavily intoxicated, too, I see." Elijah remarked.

"Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration." Klaus answered.

"You should be working on a solution for our problem instead of getting drunk, Niklaus. Otherwise, we won't get any farther than we currently are." Elijah stated.

Great, so Elijah had no news for him. How depressing.

A sudden noise caught their attention.

"Please tell me you did not bring your food home with you again." Elijah sighed.

"I came alone." Klaus stated, now highly aware of his surroundings. Someone was slowly approaching them.

With a pained cry both of them fell to their knees. "Witch" Klaus stated in a growl. He looked around to make out the witch's location which was no easy task considering the pain she was able to induce both of them. "Show yourself, coward!" Klaus yelled.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Niklaus." Both their heads snapped to the voice.

"Finn." Klaus growled. He knew it had been a mistake not to kill him when he had the chance.

"Where is the girl, Niklaus?" Finn asked, not bothering to say her name.

"Did you really sink so low, brother? Working with these second class vampires." Klaus mocked.

"Hasn't last time taught you anything, Finn? You should stand by your family. Not against them." Elijah said.

"You killed our mother, so spare me the lecture. Now, let me tell you how this is going to go, Niklaus." Finn started. "Either you tell me where the girl is hiding, or I will be forced to plunge this in Elijah's heart." He pulled out a white oak stake.

"You wouldn't." Klaus gasped.

"Really? Tell me, is that girl worth more than your own brother?" Finn asked.

Klaus remained silent, focussing on locating the witch now. He needs to kill her fast, now that Finn is waving around the white oak stake.

"Are you really going to kill your own brother?" Elijah asked.

"I have to. Mother made a mistake. She should never have turned us into the monsters we are today. I will eradicate that wrong for her, so she can finally rest in peace, knowing that her cursed children are no harm any longer." Finn elaborated.

"Now, Niklaus. What will it be. Will you save your girl some time before we find her on our own, or will you save your brother's life?" Finn asked again.

Klaus ignored him, still searching for the beating of the witch's heart.

"As you wish." In that moment Klaus finally found her in one of the rooms upstairs and sped away, hoping to kill her in time for Elijah to make his escape. The pain was slowing him down remarkably, but he managed to snap the bitches neck within seconds. Not wasting any more time he flashed back to Elijah.

The two brothers were currently fighting on the floor and it seemed like Finn had the upper hand. He had Elijah pinned down to the ground, ready to penetrate his heart with the stake. Klaus flashed over to them, biting Finn's neck savagely before ripping the stake from his hands. Not feeling the tiniest bit of remorse or guilt, Klaus pushed the stake deep into his brother's chest.

Elijah looked at him with wide eyes as Finn's corpse burned down to ashes.

"You need to leave, Elijah. Now." Klaus ordered.

"No. I will continue to stay by your side." Elijah insisted.

"Absolutely not. You would only be a liability. They have clearly found out about my part in Caroline's disappearance and are seeking revenge. We are lucky they only send in Finn and one witch. Next time they will be better prepared. Find Davina and tell her its time you joined the others." Klaus explained.

"What about you?" Elijah asked worried.

"I'm the only one they still need alive. My blood is too valuable to kill me just like that." Klaus looked at his brother who regarded him closely.

"I will leave for now. I promise to come up with a new plan to aid you soon." Elijah promised and flashed away.

Klaus had barely enough time to comprehend the events that had just taken place before another group of people entered his home. Tristan and Lucien were accompanied by what seemed to be an entire coven of witches.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your decision, Niklaus." Tristan announced.

"I am in no mood for one of your games, Tristan." Klaus answered.

"Good. Let us get this over with quick, then." Tristan replied. "Where is Ms. Forbes?"

"I can honestly tell you that I have not the slightest idea, nor do I care what happened to that girl." Klaus said casually.

"Drop the act, Niklaus. We know you have been working with the Bennett witch to insure the safety of Ms. Forbes and your child" Klaus managed to look surprised. This was turning out better than he had hoped. If they believed Bonnie to be behind the spell, they would keep clear of Davina. However, Klaus loathed the other's superior behaviour.

"Vampires can't procreate, Tristan. I thought someone as old as you would have found out about that little fact by now." Klaus feigned ignorance.

Tristan grabbed the bridge of his nose while Lucien smirked.

"Oh, I'm so happy you chose the hard way, Niklaus." he said, the smile not leaving his face.

The witches started chanting, making Klaus fall to his knees for the second time that evening. God, witches truly are a pain in the ass, he thought while he tried to fight against the spell.

Lucien walked over to him and crouched down beside him. "You see, I've been dying to try this out on you."

Klaus had no time to react before a white, bone-like dagger was pushed inside of his chest. He yelled out in horrible pain, trying to stop the bone from moving further into his body with his hands. But he failed and fell to the floor in agony.

* * *

"Davina!" Elijah called out once he reached the cemetery.

The young witch came out of one of the tombs and approached the original.

"They have changed tactics." Elijah informed the young girl.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Finn, our brother, attacked us. He was sent in to kill me. Niklaus killed him before he could." Elijah explained. "He asked me to join the others in the safe house."

"They must be mad because they can't find Caroline and your siblings." Davina mused.

"We need to find a way to end this soon." Davina's phone rang and despite Elijah's disapproving look she answered.

"Marcel, are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. Is Elijah with you?"

"Yes. He told me about Finn." Davina confirmed and put him on speaker.

"I only just found out. They say Finn died shortly before Elijah disappeared. Tristan was furious at the failed attempt to teach Klaus a lesson and decided to do it himself. They took a white dagger with them. Kinda looked like bones." Marcel explained.

"Papa Tunde's blade." Elijah stated, his eyes wide with horror. "Niklaus is in great danger."

"Whatever it is, it won't kill him. You need to leave before they get another chance to kill you." Marcel insisted.

"And leave you to handle the situation alone? If my brother has really been daggered with this blade, he won't be able to function any longer. The pain and hallucinations will be too much for even him to handle." Elijah stated.

"I'll find a way to free him from that. But I'd rather not have to explain why I let you get yourself killed once he is free."

"I will talk to my siblings. We will find a way to end this." Elijah promised.

"Okay. Davina, I will be with you shortly." Then the line went dead.

Davina turned to Elijah. "I need your blood to perform a few spells to make sure they won't be able to track or follow you. Then, I will need you to open your mind for me, so I can show you where the house is located."

Elijah knew about the safety measures in place and simply nodded. He hated leaving his brother to fend for himself, but Marcel was right. Without a plan, he would raise the risk of his death without accomplishing anything before. They still had no idea how many staked currently existed or where they were located. All he could do right now, was to hope his brother was strong enough to endure the pain.

* * *

Tristan smirked as the chanting came to an end. Niklaus Mikaelson was finally put down and safely imprisoned by magic he would not be able to break. Of course, with the dagger embedded in his chest, the hybrid had no chance at all of escaping this place by himself. All he had to do now was either locate his bitch and family by the means of witchcraft or wait for a foolish attempt for them to rescue him.

He nodded to the guards, indicating that they were to do their job and keep a close eye on his most important prisoner.

Feeling accomplished, Tristan ascended the stairs and left the dungeon. Today has been a success after all, and he fully intended to celebrate it. a victory dinner would do.

Once upstairs he found Lucien in a discussion with his sister. Both looked utterly distraught.

"Whatever it is you two are bickering about, stop it. its time for a celebration." he announced.

"Brother, haven't you heard?" aurora asked worriedly.

"After Niklaus killed his brother, vampires all around the world dropped dead. Vampires that were part of his line." Lucien elaborated.

Tristan looked at them, waiting for them to drop the act. They could not be serious. But they were.

"Get me a witch. Now!" He ordered and watched as Lucien flashed away.

"Brother, I am so happy Niklaus spared you from the pitiful fade of the vampires that were turned by Finn." Aurora hugged her brother tight.

Niklaus never intended to save anyone but Elijah. Hell, they probably had no idea what would happen once an original died. Niklaus had, unbeknownst to him, saved Tristan's life for his own selfish gain. There was no need for gratitude towards the hybrid.

"I will let you sort out these things with Lucien while I go and tend to Niklaus." Aurora kissed his cheek briefly before vanishing as well.

Oh, those witches better find him a way to break that link quick.

* * *

**Ok, so how did we like the last two chapters? Things are about to become very interesting for the original family and Caroline. **

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed so far and of course to those that followed and favourited the story. You guys rock my world!**


	5. An Unexpected Event

**Chances**

Chapter Five: An Unexpected Event

* * *

_Remember the moment you left me alone and_

_Broke every promise you ever made_

_I was an ocean, lost in the open_

_Nothing could take the pain away_

_Throne - Bring Me The Horizon_

* * *

The streets of New Orleans were crowded as she made her to Rousseau's to get a drink. She was craving something strong; and maybe a hot guy whose neck she could rip open to quench here hunger for human blood.

Her hand found the door, and she stepped inside the crowded pub, looking around for someone to entertain her while she was here and rolled her eyes after they had landed on a certain blonde waitress. God, that walking, talking blood bag radiated boredom. Seriously, how was she not dead by now?

Luckily, she saw some college boys and waltzed over to them.

"Hi, boys!" She greeted with a huge smile and a little wave that was supposed to make her look cute and innocent.

Of course, they silenced immediately, checking her out quite blatantly before grinning. And why wouldn't they? She looked absolutely hot in her tiny red top that barely covered her breast, leather jacket, tight leather pants and unnecessarily high heels.

"Hello to you, too, babe." One of them said with a grin. "Wanna sit with us?"

She giggled but nodded and sat down next to him, their legs touching. The guy couldn't believe his luck, obviously, as he shot his pals an excited look.

"Wanna tell me your name, sugar?" He asked, and she felt the urge to vomit straight into his lap.

"How about you get me something strong first?" She said, batting her lashes at him.

"'Course, what do ya want?"

"Tequila. Loads of it!" She answered seriously at first but interrupted into giggles again.

The guys nodded at each other before one of them set of to the bar.

Not disappointing, Camille returned shortly with shot glasses and a bottle of the liquor. Unfortunately, she recognized her immediately.

"Caroline? What are you doing here? You look different."

"None of your business, blondie." Caroline answered, using the nickname Damon had given her. "How about you do your job and keep your mouth shut around me? I'm sure you are not looking for trouble, right?"

Camille looked confused but did what Caroline suggested and scurried away.

"You're feisty, Caroline, right?" The guy next to her commented.

"I can be whatever you want, sugar." Caroline replied with a grin, causing the guy to shift around in his seat.

Before he could make another remark, however, they were disturbed once more.

"Leave. I have some business with that little lady friend of yours." The man said. They must have known him, for they hurried away instantly.

He took a seat opposite her, grabbing two shot glasses and pouring in the liquor.

Together, they downed the drink.

"So, you are the famous Caroline Forbes?" He inquired.

"Famous? Me? Stop, you're making me blush!" She said in a flirty voice. It hadn't taken long for one of them to find her.

"Stop the games. I won't be fooled by you. Though I must admit, you're quite brave. Showing up her all by yourself. No backup in sight." He said.

"I don't need back-up, honey." She answered confidently.

"Oh, you will change that tune of yours soon enough. Let's go."

"I will need more tequila if you want to take me home with me. Like, a lot more. No offence, you're just not my type." She quipped.

"Do you even know who I am?" He asked, slightly amused at her bravery.

"Nope. And I won't if you don't tell me any time soon." She took the bottle and started drinking straight from it, not regarding the glasses any longer.

"My name is Lucien." He introduced himself. "And you, Caroline Forbes, are our number one target."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, pretty boy." She answered with a smirk. "But coincidentally, I was looking for you."

"You must be crazy, then. But what else did I expect from the woman that gave birth to Klaus' child. Speaking of which, where is it? You're obviously not pregnant any more." He checked her body out quite obviously.

"The devil's spawn? Don't know. Left the body with the siblings from hell before I ran off. You don't know how happy I am to finally be rid of that family." Caroline sighed.

"The body? As in dead body?" Lucien asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yep. There won't be any baby Mikaelsons running around any time soon. Thank god!"

"And why were you looking for me?"

"I heard about the white oak. I want in." Caroline looked him straight in the eyes.

Lucien looked her straight in the eyes and started laughing like a maniac.

"What? You think that's funny?" She asked, letting the annoyance drip through.

"Hilarious!" He affirmed. "I was confused in the beginning but now I know what's up! You turned it off, didn't you?"

"So what?"

"What made you turn it off? The death of your child? Knowing his father was nowhere near to help you through the pain?"

"They killed my mother." Caroline sated, not a hint of emotion on her face. "When they realised their precious nephew was born a corpse, they freaked. And frankly, I would rather kill them before they get the chance to do what they did to my mother."

"Interesting. Weren't you heartbroken over the death of your child?" He inquired.

"Please! It was a blessing, honestly. With that child, the Mikaelson's wouldn't have let me go. Ever. And eternity is way too long to spent with a family like that."

"I came here to lead you to your slaughter, but I think a change of plans might be in order." Lucien said and got up.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

"I hate to have to repeat myself, but I really don't think you're my type." Caroline said.

"Pity, but not what I had in mind. But please, do tell me when you change your mind." He winked.

"Where are we going, then?"

"First, I'm famished. How about a snack?"

"Now we're talking!" Caroline grinned widely at him.

A few minutes later, they had lured a couple into a dark alleyway and latched onto their necks.

Lucien had stopped drinking, eyeing Caroline curiously.

"Hey, darling, you should stop. We don't kill'em here. Want the tourists to keep returning, so we don't run low on blood."

Caroline dropped the guy to the ground unceremoniously. "Whatever."

"Don't worry, there is a lot of blood waiting for us where we're going." He promised.

"Blood suits you, pretty boy." Caroline leaned her head to the side.

"Of course, blood makes you notice my beauty." Lucien laughed.

Caroline shrugged and walked over to him, crossing her arms.

"Lead the way?"

"Of course, darling."

* * *

Caroline had barely stepped into the abattoir before something red attacked her. Before she could react, Lucien had put himself between her and a very angry looking woman.

"Step aside Lucien." She ordered.

"No. I have plans for her yet, Aurora." He said.

Caroline erupted into laughter. So this was Aurora. The woman that was dumb enough to believe she was Klaus' true love. Well, she definitely looked the part. Cute, but bat shit crazy!

"What are you laughing at, bitch?" She growled.

"Sorry, it's just..." He giggled again. "God, you really look like I imagined you would. A crazy lady that actually believes Klaus would be able to feel any kind of emotion!"

"Lucien, I swear, if you don't step aside and let me kill her I will kill you both."

"What's that racked about?" A man in a suit appeared and Caroline couldn't help but notice the similarities he beard with Elijah. Must be Tristan.

"Brother, Lucien is protecting Nik's slut!" Aurora exclaimed like a little girl to her father.

"Only because she is of more use to us alive than dead!" Lucien exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Jeez, thanks. And here I thought you liked me for my company. And my body, of course." Caroline quipped.

"I don't see how she would be of any relevance to us alive." Tristan said, eyeing her curiously.

"She turned it of. Actually came to find me just to say she wants a part in our plans to extinct the Mikaelsons." Lucien said proudly.

"And you trusted her?" Tristan seemed mad.

"Barely. But remember the information we have on her? Doesn't feed from the vein and never kills? Had to stop her from draining a tourist a few minutes ago."

"Interesting. And the child."

"Dead." Caroline was busy cleaning her nails, informing him of her child's death with no hint of emotion whatsoever.

"I think we should let her kill Rebekah in front of him. That'll tear him apart. Seeing the woman he obviously had some kind of feelings for kill his baby sister." Lucien said.

Tristan contemplated for a few seconds while Aurora was busy complaining.

"You know, I understand why Klaus left you behind. You're annoying as hell!" Caroline baited the red-head.

"Aurora, leave us. Oh, and do not tell Niklaus about these new circumstances yet. I want to see his eyes when he learns of his child's death. Actually, why don't we got tell him after a nice cup of tea, Miss Forbes?"

He had no idea how much time had passed. Not since the pain had first started and the hallucinations had kicked in. It was hard to tell reality from the things that actually happened around him. But he got better control of it the more time passed. He could vaguely make out Aurora visiting him, telling him how she would wait for him to come back to his senses. How they would lead a long and happy life and that she would convince her brother not to kill him.

But the hallucinations were hunting him still. They were hard to control. It started with Henrik, dying in his arms over and over again. Memories hunted him day and night. Except the times she came to visit him. Not Aurora, no. It was Caroline that convinced him not to give up. No matter how agonising it felt to cling to his existence and not let his mind fade away.

"You should see him." She said. "He looks so much like you."

"Maybe he's better off without me." He muttered.

"Seriously? How many times do we have to have this conversation, Nik?"

"As long as it takes for you to understand that no child should be cursed with a father like me."

"Well, I'm not real, am I? Just a projection of your imagination. So it would be more realistic to say that you need to understand that you would be a great father. You're not him." Caroline pointed out.

"I failed you. How am I supposed to look into his eyes, knowing that I have failed him before he was even born?"

"You didn't fail any of us. You keep us safe, Nik. You're the reason we're still alive. He'll think you're a hero or something."

"All the more reason to stay here. He'd be so disappointed to find out who his father really is." He led his head down, feeling the guilt of his past actions creep up.

"You're wrong. We need you, Nik. Come back to us." Caroline pleaded.

"How? I'm stuck here, in case you didn't notice."

"Please! You're Klaus Mikaelson! There's no way you wouldn't be able to pull that little old dagger out of your chest all by yourself!"

"What then? I cannot break through the barrier the witches created. I wouldn't be able even if I was at the top of my strength." He raised his head, looking at her then and seeing her smiling back at him encouragingly.

"Think of something. I know you can."

The doors to the dungeon opened and Caroline disappeared , much to Klaus' disappointment. Instead, Aurora walked in and sat down on the chair she had brought down. It was stood as close to him as the barrier allowed.

"Hi, Nik." She greeted sweetly.

He didn't respond. No, not to her. She was an accomplice to the plot that had gotten him here in the first place. She wanted to harm the ones he cared about the most. He didn't want to know what she'd do to Caroline if she ever met her in the flesh.

"I had the worst day so far, but seeing you helps. I just wish I could touch you." She said.

Klaus closed his eyes, hoping he could produce a clear picture of Caroline in his imagination. He wished it was her who seeked him out after a bad day. That she was the one who didn't give up on him.

Aurora kept rambling on but Klaus didn't listen to a word she said. He let her voice fade away, let his mind drift.

"I don't know who is more pathetic. You or the woman that is foolishly obsessed with a bastard like you." Klaus opened his eyes and found Mikael staring back at him.

"Go away." He wasn't sure whether he had said it out loud or not.

"I'm rather enjoying the view. The hybrid bastard, finally in chains." Mikael grinned.

"Enjoy it quietly, then."

"Why? Don't want me to disturb your thoughts about the blonde baby vampire?"

"So I don't have to hear your voice."

"Do you think she will wait for you, boy? Elijah is with her now. If she is half as intelligent as you make her out to be, she will run straight into his arms. Elijah always had potential. Pity that he was obsessed with your redemption."

"No. They wouldn't betray me like this."

"Yes, they would. And you know it. Just like Tatia, Caroline will realise which brother is worth her attention and which one isn't."

"Shut up."

"Don't want to hear the truth, boy?"

"You're wrong."

Klaus closed his eyes, trying very hard to take his mind off Mikael. To his luck, the doors burst open again, this time with a loud crash. His head snapped up, and he knew he must be hallucinating still.

"Caroline." He whispered, looking up at the blonde that had walked in with Tristan and Lucien. She looked different.

"I see you are having one of your clearer moments, Niklaus." Tristan stated.

"Get her away from my man!" Aurora roared and Klaus didn't know what to believe. Was she really there? But why was she with his enemies? And why didn't they let Aurora do what she obviously longed for.

"Trust me, I don't plan to stick around for long." Caroline rolled her eyes. She focused hard to not let her eyes meet his until she had to.

"Caroline, darling, I believe you wanted to say something to our dear prisoner?" Lucien said and flung an arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Caroline wanted to rip his arm from her body and use it to slap that smirk off his face. Instead, she inhaled sharply and smiled hugely at Lucien before averting her gaze to meet Klaus'. He looked up at her in confusion.

"He's dead." She said, not elaborating further. Klaus' didn't need her to. He could feel his heart breaking. It couldn't be true.

"Oh, and your siblings killed poor Caroline's mother in retaliation. Can you believe that?" Lucien faked and outraged look.

"I will enjoy watching you rot in that little prison of yours." Caroline said with a sinister smile. "Probably just as much as I will enjoy killing your siblings."

Lucien laughed and Aurora huffed at Caroline's audacity.

Klaus was slowly moving his head from side to side. There is no way this blonde in front of him was Caroline.

"Oh, and something else. Just between the two of us, Klaus." Lucien added. "This is payback for what you have done to me."

He pulled Caroline close and pressed his lips to hers. Caroline stiffened for a second, surprised at his bolt and totally uncalled action. But she figured that going along with whatever he had in mind would be the best thing to do. So she flung her arms around Lucien's neck and kissed him back passionately.

Klaus watched in absolute horror. This definitely wasn't the Caroline he remembered. Just how long has he been locked up inside this prison and his mind? Seeing her in the arms of another felt worse than the dagger inside his chest. It was as if someone repeatedly tore out his heart.

* * *

"Care!"

"Don't. I have to go sanitize my mouth first!" Caroline groaned, disgusted at how far she had to go to get Lucien's trust.

"Got yourself a new boyfriend?" Kol asked, his eyebrows wiggling.

"A new nightmare, to be honest!" Caroline answered as she got out of the bathroom.

"What happened?" Henrik asked.

"Well, I got this Lucien wrapped right around m little finger, that's for sure." She slumped onto the sofa next to the youngest Mikaelson.

"I saw him. Klaus." Caroline winced.

"Tell us everything." Kol got serious and sat down next to Marcel.

Caroline explained everything to the small group around her. From how easy it was for her to fool them, to what happened in the dungeons. Her heart ached for Klaus and how she wished she could've just grabbed him and dragged him out of there. She would probably never forget the pain she had seen in his eyes. But it was necessary. After all, he and Elijah had achieved close to nothing in all the months they had worked on taking down the DeMartells and Lucien. And when Caroline had heard what Elijah had said once he joined them, she knew she had to do something.

She had given birth to her son and left as soon as her body was back to full strength. She hated being away from him, but she couldn't look into his eyes, seeing Klaus look back at her any longer. And she knew that as the others would take care of him. Her mom and Rebekah, even Stefan, were all over the moon and in love with her son. That made leaving him alone just a tiny bit easier for her.

She and Henrik had come up with a plan of themselves. She knew that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah would throw a real fit if they knew of Henrik's involvement. But she trusted his abilities. And the surprise effect he would bring when they took them down.

When Caroline and Henrik snuck out in the middle of the night, leaving a letter to explain where they had gone, Kol stopped them. In the beginning, they feared he would try to stop them, but he simply told them that he wanted in. So, the three of them headed to New Orleans and joined Davina on the cemetery.

Of course, she and Marcel were absolutely shocked to see them. Most of all Henrik. The Mikaelson that had defied death. But they agreed to helping them realise their plans and safe Klaus. Tristan had approached Davina a few weeks before they arrived, asking for her help to break the sire lines. Much like Marcel, Davina turned into a double agent, pretending to try and find a way to break the sire line. Instead, she and Marcel had finally found the location and number of stakes in existence. Kol and Marcel spent an entire week on finding and destroying them. But when they were done, it was time for Caroline to step into the picture and gain the trust of their enemies. Because, no matter how hard she tried, Davina couldn't make out Klaus' exact location.

Tristan wouldn't tell anyone but two witches, sadly none of those witches was Davina, his sister and Lucien where Klaus was being held. Caroline certainly didn't think it would take her only one day to find him, but she did. Now it was time to come up with a plan to get him out of there.

"I think it's safe to say that Nik will freak out on us first thing. Good thing the daggers are far away." Kol said.

"Won't stop him from taking his anger out on us, though." Marcel mused.

"Trust me, he'll be busy hating me." Caroline looked down sadly.

"Oh, come on. You told him his little pup died, vowed to kill us and snogged Lucien in front of him. I'd say you guys are even now." Kol shrugged.

"You can even use the same excuse he did." Marcel agreed.

Caroline however didn't think it'd be as easy. She had seen the look in his eyes, the pain they held.

"What I don't understand is what Lucien meant. Payback for what?" Caroline asked.

"Lucien was in love with Aurora. Nik promised to help him be with her but ended shagging her himself." Kol sniggered.

"Wow. I feel horrible." Caroline put her head in her hands, ashamed of the lengths she had to go to find Klaus.

* * *

"I told you, boy. She would never stay with a bastard like you." Mikael laughed.

Klaus hoped ignoring him would make him disappear, so he looked the other way, only to have Mikael appear in front of his face.

"You won't get rid of me so easily. Not when there is nowhere for you to run." He grinned.

"Leave. Me. Alone!" Klaus roared and to his surprise, Mikael was gone.

His relief lasted only so long, however, as Caroline appeared. But not that version he had seen with Lucien. No, this was his Caroline.

"Nik." She started, but he cut her off.

"Why? Why would you betray me like that?" He asked, his voice cracking.

"I wish I could tell you. But don't give up yet." She looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"We had this conversation already, love." He dismissed her.

"Then you know what I want." Caroline insisted.

"I can't!"

Caroline crouched down in front of him.

"That's not true and you know it. You have to do something. And quick."

Klaus moved his hand over his chest.

"Pull it out, Nik." She nodded her head.

"What good would my escape do now? He's dead. I couldn't keep him safe."

"Your family needs you. I need you."

"What would you need me for?" He asked, the hurt still evident in his voice.

"Didn't you pay any attention at all? Do you really think I would walk around, letting guys like Lucien touch me?"

"You let Lockwood touch you. And Damon." Klaus stated angrily.

"So not the point!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"Fine. There was something about you. Something that was different." He thought and then it clicked. "You turned it off."

"We have a winner!"

"What happened, Caroline?"

"Why don't you get out of here and find out?"

"Help me." He pleaded.

"I can't."

Klaus inhaled sharply and pushed his hand in his chest. The pain was immense but he kept going. Caroline was right. They needed him. He couldn't stay locked away forever. He had to do something before the real Caroline, the one he knew, was gone forever.

* * *

**A/N: So, this time the wait wasn't as long!**

**I hope you like this chapter and constructive critisism and feedback is always welcome!**

**Thank you for reading and have nice day, you wonderful people! :)**


	6. Captivity and Escape

**Chances**

Chapter Six: Captivity and Escape

* * *

_'Cause this is not enough_

_And I won't wait for them to cut me up_

_So give me all you've got_

_They'll never stop until they see us fall_

_So let's run away 'cause everything's broken_

_And we're so much more than another brick in the grave_

_Run - Bring Me The Horizon_

* * *

His hand was buried in his chest, the pain almost too much to handle. But he kept going, knowing that he had to do this. He had to break free and save her before she was lost completely. The physical pain he felt was nothing compared to the emotional pain that he suffered from the second her cold eyes had met his. The knowledge that he had failed to keep her or his son , he made a promise to her that he would make it up. He would never let anyone or anything harm her ever again. He would make up for being a failure up until now. He didn't care about the potential amount of white oak that was around. He would do what he should have done months ago. Kill the DeMartells and Lucien. And if anyone dared come after him or his family, he would make the world burn. They would see the consequences of attacking a Mikaelson. There was no saving them from the impending doom that was his rage.

Finally, his hand connected with the dagger deeply embedded in his chest. If it wasn't for the amount of pain he was in, he would have released a sigh. Channelling the last of his strength and will-power, Klaus held onto the dagger and pulled it out of his body in one swift move.

The device that had tortured him for such a long time securely in hand, he couldn't hold back the victorious chuckle escaping his lungs. The version of Caroline that had told him to pull it out might not have been real, but she had been right. He was the original hybrid. There was no way a little piece of bone would be able to restrain him. No matter the kind of magic it contained.

After catching his breath and relishing in the non-delirious state he was finally back in, Klaus stood up trying to think of a way to break through the barrier that kept him from leaving his prison.

Rushed steps could be heard from far away, determinedly coming closer to him. He mentally prepared himself to rip whoever it was to shreds.

"How did you do this?" Tristan spoke up after flashing inside the dungeon. His eyes were fixed on the dagger in Klaus' hands.

"You didn't truly believe that this could hold me down forever. Now let me out of here, so we can finally settle this." Klaus snarled. He might not be at the top of his capabilities, but killing this pompous dick in front of him would be a pleasure like nothing else.

"Not so fast, Niklaus." Tristan replied calmly. "Bring her in."

Klaus' eyes moved to the entrance. Lucien dragged her in. Her hands in chains, face paler than usual, eyes only half open. Klaus took in a sharp breath.

"Let her go." He demanded.

"Now, why would we do that, Niklaus? After all, she is far more useful to us in chains." Tristan smirked.

"Let her go, or you will meet an end so cruel, even the devil will weep." Klaus threatened.

"Let us cut down on the death threats, after all there is not much you can do from in there, right?" Lucien said with a smirk.

"Oh, I will get out of here. And I will find you, make you wish you never would have harmed a hair on Caroline's head." Klaus vowed.

"Empty promises. But kind of romantic, don't you think, darling?" Lucien tugged on the chains harshly, making Caroline's weak form tumble to the ground.

Klaus tried to flash to her side only to collide with the invisible barrier. He swung his fist against it in desperation.

"Let me out of here, you cowards!" He yelled.

His enemies didn't verbally respond, simply looking at him with a superior glint. But that didn't matter as her watery eyes met his. He could swear that, were he mortal, the pained look in her eyes would have killed him instantly. Instead, he felt a painful tug on his heart.

"Listen, Niklaus. We are willing to grant Ms. Forbes a head start if you do us a simple favour." Tristan cut in. "I want you to compel her to reveal your son's location."

Klaus' eyes flashed over to Tristan in confusion. He didn't know what they were planning to do with his child's corpse, but he wouldn't help them find him.

"Let me out and I will grant you that small favour." He replied.

"That's not an option, I'm afraid."

Once more, his eyes met Caroline's, and he could see that she was grateful for his reluctance to compel her. There was something that didn't sit right with Klaus, however. Only yesterday, Caroline seemed to be without emotion, working with the ones that currently had her in chains. He wondered what had happened. What had triggered Caroline's emotions.

He could feel that Caroline was trying to communicate with him, but he didn't understand. The only thing he got from her eyes were pain and curiously, guilt. Why, he wondered, would she feel guilty for him. He was the one that should feel guilty and try everything in his power to right his wrongs as good as he could. Not her. No, whatever had happened in his absence, Caroline didn't need to feel guilty.

Just then, Aurora joined the group, a hint of panic across her features.

"Brother! They are coming. Half our guards are already down." She informed Tristan.

"Lucien, take Ms. Forbes and my sister and leave." Tristan ordered.

Though Aurora was reluctant, she followed Lucien out, through a different path they had used to enter.

"Who was she talking about?" Klaus demanded to know.

"No one of importance." Tristan said.

"Somehow I don't believe that is true." Klaus countered.

Within the next few minutes, another group entered the dungeon and Klaus wanted to rip his hair out in annoyance and anger. Why were they so incapable of listening to what he said?

"Marcel, I have to say, I should have seen your betrayal coming." Tristan mused.

"But you didn't." Marcel pointed out.

"Obviously." Tristan agreed shortly.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I'd rather get this over with quick." Kol chirped in.

"Of course. Leave now and I will let you live. Fight me and your dear blonde friend dies." Tristan offered.

"I'll take option three." Kol answered and Henrik flicked his wrist, effectively rendering Tristan unconscious.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing here, Henrik?" Klaus growled.

"Rescuing you, of course." Henrik shrugged and approached the barrier, Davina at his side.

"Davina and I will break the barrier now." He explained before they started chanting Latin words.

Klaus glared at Kol. How he wished to have his daggers at hand now. He was supposed to be the responsible one, taking care of Caroline, Henrik and make sure every one was safe. It seems his brother had failed spectacularly.

"Don't think I don't know that look, Nik. Just do us all a favour and let us explain before you try to kill me. I promise, things are different from what you believe them to be." Kol said.

"Really? Then Caroline didn't contact my enemies after one of you killed her mother in retaliation for my dead child? And Henrik is not currently risking his life, just by being here?" Klaus shot back.

"Yes and no. Like I said, it's probably a lot." Kol answered. "Plus, Henrik is doing a badass job of saving your sorry ass. So instead of whining, you should be thankful for the length we all go to protect you."

"I don't need protection." Klaus growled.

"All done." Henrik announced.

Klaus took a few careful steps until he had put enough distance between him and the barrier that had been there previously. Wasting no time, he gripped Kol be the neck.

"Nik! We don't have time for this!" Henrik exclaimed.

"I'll talk to you once I'm done with Kol." Klaus replied.

"He's right, Nik. While your wasting what little strength you have left on me, Caroline is in serious danger." Kol said.

"Should have thought about that before killing her mother!" Klaus yelled.

"Liz is fine! It was a lie to protect Liz and your son, you bloody idiot!" Kol exclaimed.

Klaus let go of Kol then.

"If you are lying to me " Henrik cut Klaus off.

"He's not lying, Nik. They are all safe. Right now, we should focus on getting Caroline back."

They took Tristan's temporary life-less body and ran from the dungeon until they were in one of the tombs at Lafayette graveyard and securely wrapped in the witches magic that kept uninvited vampires out.

"Tell me everything." Klaus demanded.

Kol started the tale of how he had caught Henrik and Caroline sneak out one night, set on finding and saving Klaus. He explained the connection each original had to the line they had sired and how he and Marcel had destroyed the white oak and replaced it with regular wood with Davina's help.

"Caroline let me compel her to appear emotionless in front of everyone but us. This way she could fool them to trust her while keeping her morals in check herself."

"But they found out. We underestimated them." Marcel admitted.

"And Caroline has to suffer for your poor lack of judgment! Did I not make myself clear that I wanted neither her nor our little brother involved in this?" Klaus growled.

"We weren't going to sit around and wait for your death, Nik!" Henrik defended his actions.

"Your death would have killed Caroline as well. I totally get why she took matters into her own hands." Davina agreed.

"And we achieved what you couldn't! They have no means to kill us any longer. We broke you out of your prison!" Kol listed.

"But to what cost? While we are here, revelling in how marvellous your little plan worked, Caroline is out there in the hands of those that want her dead!" Klaus yelled out his desperation.

"But we are still a few steps ahead of them!" Marcel said. "They believe that they are still in the possession of white oak. They won't kill her when they can use her life to lure you out. We should use their false sense of security to our benefit."

Klaus had to admit that he had a point. A weak one, but still. Even if he was reluctant to admit it, Henrik's presence played well into their cards as well. They didn't know about him and as it seems, his little brother hadn't been lying when he said that he became stronger over time. The magic Henrik had channelled before was impressive, and he seemed barely out of breath.

"Marcel, only Tristan knows about your deceit yet. I want you to go and find out where Caroline is and make sure they do not kill her." Klaus ordered and Marcel disappeared.

"Henrik, Davina. I want you to eat and rest. You need to be at the top of your strength for what is about to come." Both of them nodded and strode off dutifully.

That left only him and Kol. While Klaus was still irritated by Kol's reluctance to follow his instructions, he knew his brother had done well enough. If they put their heads together, he knew his enemies would fall spectacularly.

But before they could begin their plotting, Trsitan awoke with a start.

He looked around and saw the salt that surrounded him.

"Doesn't feel too good, being held by invisible walls, does it?" Klaus gloated.

"Go ahead, revel in your temporary victory, Niklaus. Soon, you will beg me to show you mercy. And using the white oak, I will graciously grant you that wish." Tristan replied self-assured.

"Where is Caroline?" Klaus demanded to know.

"Who knows. But I can assure you, wherever she is, my sister will not be as merciful as me." A smile granted Tristan's features. "But if you let me go. I will find them and make sure her death will be a fast one."

"You are in no position to bargain, Tristan. What do you wish to achieve from her? Why take her?" He asked.

"To hurt you, for one. You might have tried to deceive us, but we saw through your act. You care deeply for that girl, and we will enjoy watching your pain when we take her from you. Until then, I know that she has been lying. Somewhere, you are hiding your son. Caroline will serve her purpose and lead us straight to him." Tristan revealed.

"You will never find him. Not before we kill each and every one of you anyway." Kol snarled.

"We'll see."

* * *

Caroline fell in and out of consciousness repeatedly. Each time she came to again, the pain would somehow increase. This time she was strapped to a chair by ropes soaked in vervain. Her flesh burned, her blood on fire. She was sure she wouldn't last long this time slipped down her cheeks. She knew chances of her making it out of this alive were slim.

Her son would grow up without his mother and her own mother surely would be heart-broken at the loss of her only child. But they weren't alone. Her friends, the family she chose, would take care of them, she knew.

And Klaus. He would make it out of this, she was sure. At least their son would still have his father. Through all the doubts she had had previously, she was now certain that Klaus would be a good father. She knew he could be.

The image of him back in the dungeon came back to her. The pain and all the blood on him. But he had never stopped fighting. If she saw correctly, he had pulled the dagger out of his chest by himself. The way he had tried to help her, trying to break through the barrier. She knew he was capable of love. Maybe, if she hadn't been stupid enough to get caught off guard, they would have had a future together. But all this was over now.

The least she could do, was go down with dignity. It may be in vain, but Caroline made the decision not to go down so easily. No. Klaus had endured so much pain and still stood tall. If he could do it, she could as well. She owed it to everyone that loved and cared about her.

She took a deep breath and channelled the last of her strength, trying to break free from the ropes that kept her in place. It hurt like hell, but she knew that she could do it. All she had to do was block out the pain long enough to break free.

Much to her surprise, she was able to free her right hand. Eyes wide, Caroline couldn't believe her strength. Or was it luck?

Quickly, she freed her other hand, not even letting a scream escape her lips. If she wanted to make it out of there, she needed to be quiet not to attract more of Aurora's unwanted attention.

She distracted herself from the pain with images of her son. She wasn't ready to let go yet. She was ready to do whatever it takes to make sure he was safe.

A few minutes later, Caroline had freed her body from the restrains and tried standing slowly. Her legs felt wobbly and her entire body seared with pain.

Determined, Caroline looked around and saw a window - an escape route waiting for her. After a quick glance to her finger to check for her daylight ring she climbed up the wall and wiggled out into the open. Being a former cheerleader came in handy for her escape.

Once outside, she looked around, making sure no guards were placed around the building. She couldn't believe her luck. Escaping was so much easier than she would have thought. Her capturers obviously underestimated her if the ropes were the only thing they placed to stop her from escaping.

She was in the bayou, she realised. This way, she could snatch an animal on her way back to the city to gather some kind of strength again.

Quickly, she put distance between herself and the small hut she has been kept in. In the distance, she could hear something running around and hoped it was something bigger than a rabbit.

It was. Unfortunately, it wasn't even an animal. Instead, she looked into familiar eyes.

"Tyler?" Caroline asked.

* * *

"Davina!" Klaus roared.

"What's wrong?" The young witch asked.

"I can't reach Marcel." He said.

"I'll do a locator spell." She said and immediately got to work.

Marcel should have reported back to him by now. Maybe either Lucien or Aurora have seen through is act which meant he had yet another person to get out of their grasp.

"Don't worry. We will have her back soon." Henrik approached him.

Klaus nodded, not quite believing his brother. Her body, he was sure, they would find. He just wasn't convinced that she'd still be alive by then.

"Don't beat yourself over something that hasn't even happened yet. Caroline is strong. There's no way she will go down just like that." Henrik added confidently.

"Let's just hope you're right." Klaus sighed.

"Of course I am. And once we're done here, you have to promise me something." Klaus raised a brow.

"I know you did what you did to keep us safe. I get it. But it hurt. From now on, we're a team. I won't ever let you go on your solo missions because you think we are not strong enough. Because I am. And so are the others. We're family and its about time you realised that you don't have to do things like that all by yourself. We're all here for you." Henrik insisted.

Klaus looked at his brother with wide eyes. He had truly grown; not only physically.

"I will always do whatever needs to be done so you can live a full life." Klaus promised putting one hand on Henrik's head.

"And I will be by your side to make sure you don't do anything as stupid ever again." Henrik replied.

"Stupid?" Klaus raised his brows.

"Yes. I mean, you could have had it all, you know? You were always looking for a place you belong. For someone that could love you. But you had to go and blow it all again. Lucky you, I guess. Because instead of hating you, we came to safe you." Henrik grinned.

Klaus knew that his little brother had watched him from the other side, but hearing him say things like that made him realise just how much he had seen. Things he would never have wanted his little brother to see.

"Well, I can't promise you to never be 'stupid' again, but I promise to try." Klaus smiled.

"That's all I want. Now, let's find Caroline, so we can go home."

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**So, a brand new chapter for you! I hope you liked that one.**

**Also, it is pretty hot where I am, so please excuse any typos or bad grammar. It's really hard for me to focus at the moment.**

**Thanks for reading and enduring the long waits!**


	7. The Greying of Skin

**Chances**

Chapter Seven: The Greying of Skin

* * *

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_Anywhere, I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_And I will swallow my pride_

_You're the one that I love_

_And I'm saying goodbye_

_Say Something - A great Big World & Christina Aguilera_

* * *

"Tyler, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked cautiously. Right now, she didn't know whether to be happy to see him or run away as fast as she possibly could. Last time, Tyler had had a hand in her abduction and failed excecution, and she could only hope that this wouldn't become a habit.

"I was looking for you." Tyler answered.

"Why?" She asked.

"You see, last time, when Esther and I teamed up, it didn't work out for me. I had to run away. Hide, before Klaus would find me. And I'm sick of running." Tyler stated.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have betrayed your friend. Maybe, if instead of helping Esther, you would've helped me, things would have turned out differently." Caroline replied.

"That was no option, unfortunately. Klaus has to die, you see. You on the other hand, you could be saved." His voice turned soft, almost pleading. "We could go back to how it was before, Care. Just you and me against the world."

Caroline's mouth fell open.

"Are you serious right now?" She asked, still processing what he had said.

"Of course. I forgive you for everything you did with him and his family. I get it, really. You don't need to be ashamed for what they made you do. For what he made you do. You can be free again, Caroline!" Tyler smiled at her.

"Ok, first of all: You forgive me? In what universe did I do anything to you that needs forgiveness? You cheated on me! And then, you tried to kill me! Forgive me all you want, Tyler, but I will not forgive you so easily." She made a short pause to catch her breath. "Second: They did not make me do anything! Least of all Klaus! He might be a dick, but at least he values my safety! So, thanks for the offer, but I have to refuse."

"He values your safety? Are your really that blind, Caroline? If anything, Klaus Mikaelson will be the death of you! The sooner you realise that, the better. Actually, if you want to stay alive, you should realise your mistake about right now and help me take him down." Tyler demeanour changed, making Caroline nervous.

"No. Even if his death didn't mean my death as well, I wouldn't betray him or any other Mikaelson. They are my family." Caroline stated confidently. "You should run, Tyler. Before Klaus gets here and kills you."

"Oh, I'm not running. Not any more. This time, I will make sure nothing goes wrong. Step one: don't let the prisoner escape." Caroline saw the yellow in his eyes come to life and wasted no time in turning around and running away from the hybrid as fast as her legs would carry her.

Unfortunately, her body was still weak and practically filled with vervain. This meant she was slower than usual and had to think of another way to loose Tyler. Hiding wasn't an option. His heightened hybrid sense of smell would lead him straight to her. That left one other option: find a way to slow him down or render him unconscious for a while.

While running, she grabbed a branch and quickly tore it of the tree. If she got this through his abdomen, she would probably be awarded with a few very necessary seconds to put some distance between him and her. She only needed to make it into the city to successfully escape him. Maybe she would even be able to get help.

Before she had time to realise what was going on, a force had rushed to her from the side and pushed her to the ground. The branch was yanked out of her hand and something was pinning her to the ground.

"I hate to say it, but I'm impressed. I never thought that you alone would be able to free yourself. But then, it was a worthy entertainment." Lucien grinned from above her.

"Stop complimenting that bitch. We have more important things to do." Came Aurora's voice from somewhere behind him.

"Like getting your brother back?" Lucien replied sarcastically. "Here's a little secret: I never really liked Tristan." He winked at Caroline.

"Enough." Aurora snapped and took a hold on the branch before ramming it into Caroline's abdomen.

She let out a pained cry and fought the tears from falling. She had to stay strong.

"I really wish we wouldn't have to do that, Care." Tyler sounded almost sorry. Almost.

Caroline bared her fangs at them, trying to fight off Lucien.

"Let's end her misery." Tyler said nonchalantly and Caroline feared the worst before her world turned black.

* * *

Locating Marcel had been surprisingly easy. It hadn't even taken him and Kol an hour to get to the place Davina told them. Now, if only locating Caroline could be as easy. But of course, either Lucien or Aurora had kept in mind to keep themselves protected from any kind of localisation charms.

"Over there!" Kol pointed out.

And surely, Marcel was stumbling through the streets of New Orleans.

The originals flashed to his side and realised that their ally was covered in a layer of sweat, eyes unfocused and mumbling.

"Wolf venom." Klaus stated the obvious.

"It's not a full moon." Kol thought aloud and Klaus growled.

Lockwood. When Esther died, Lockwood had escaped with Finn. The mutt obviously hadn't learned yet how to choose the winning team.

"Marcellus, you have to drink this." Klaus said and offered his wrist to his protege.

It took Marcel a few seconds to respond, but in the end he did and savagely tore open Klaus' flesh.

His blood fought off the venom an soon Marcel stopped drinking, retreating his fangs.

"Thank you." His sore voice sounded before he lost consciousness.

"Great. Could have waited until he gave us some info." Kol sighed, grabbing the vampire before he collided with the ground.

"We'll take him back to the cemetery first." Klaus stated.

Kol nodded and together they carried Marcel through the streets of New Orleans.

"Is he ok?" Davina worried upon seeing them carry her only father figure into the tomb.

"He will be." Klaus assured her. "Anything on Caroline yet?"

"No." Henrik answered, head down.

"Don't give up yet, mate. Maybe Marcel can tell us more once he is done napping." Kol reassured his little brother.

"Time to wake up." Klaus announced and out of nowhere, he had produced a bucket of water.

The water hit Marcel's face, making him sit up straight instantly.

"Now it's time to chat."

* * *

Caroline awoke with a start and realised that, once again, she was tied to the chair.

She wanted to scream from sheer frustration. How many times would she have to wake up in situations like these?

"Good, you're up. Then we can finally begin the fun." Aurora's voice sang.

Caroline doubted that whatever definition of fun Aurora had, it differed seriously from her own.

"We can do this the easy way, or the fun way. You decide." Lucien announced.

"What do you want?" Caroline asked.

"Well, I want Nik to finally wake up and remember that I am the love of his life. However, you had to go and get yourself pregnant with his child and mess things up for me. So, right now, I want that little bastard child of yours." Aurora explained.

Caroline couldn't believe her. How far from reality did that woman live exactly?

"Never!" She spat. "And also: Klaus must have been seriously demented to have ever had a serious relationship with a bitch like you. I guess he woke up in time to realise that actually, he prefers himself a sane woman. Like me." She didn't know what had gotten into her, baiting her enemy like that. But it felt good and for right now, it didn't look like she would survive Aurora anyway. Might as well go down with a bang.

"How dare you, you worthless piece of trash!" Aurora roared before slapping Caroline hard across the cheek.

"I don't know, but I'm rather enjoying this show. What about you, mate?" Lucien laughed.

"Don't know. I think I have seen enough catfights between cheerleaders to last me a lifetime." Tyler shrugged.

"Still mad because blondie refused to take you back?" Lucien teased.

"Shut up and get the camera, Lucien." Aurora ordered, separating herself from the baby vampire.

Caroline looked at them with wide eyes. What the fuck did they need a camera for, she wondered.

"The fun way it is!" Lucien declared happily.

Caroline didn't dare ask what he meant, but she had an idea. An idea that made her stomach turn.

"She is still looking too fresh, if you ask me." Tyler said. "I remember a pack of wolves that came into our home town before Klaus did. If I'm correct, they used something like this for entertainment purposes."

A lound bang was heard and Caroline screamed in pain as the all too familiar feeling of vervain laced wooden bullets overtook her.

"That looks fun! Let me try!" Aurora clapped her hands before ripping the gun from Tyler's hands.

A series of bullets was fired into Caroline's abdomen. Nothing that could kill her, but that didn't mean the pain she felt was any less important.

"You could have waited for me!" Lucien accused, camera in hand.

"Oh, we were just preparing our little movie star for the shoot. Wouldn't want her to look bad on her very special day." Aurora said cheerfully.

"Shall we, then?"

* * *

"The bayou." Marcel croaked out hoarsely. "That's where they are."

"No time to waste, then." Klaus announced.

"Wait, brother. Henrik and Davina exhausted themselves and it wouldn't hurt to have Marcel with us, too." Kol reasoned.

"I think two originals will suffice." Klaus said through gritted teeth.

"No, he's right. The place was crawling with vampires. And there was a hybrid." Marcel agreed with Kol.

"Tyler Lockwood, I know." Klaus said.

"No way! He's not really fighting us again?" Kol groaned.

"The mutt just doesn't learn." Klaus nodded.

"Aren't hybrids usually sired to you?" Davina asked.

"Not that one. I set him free. Looking back, it just proves me again that mercy never gets you what you want." Klaus growled.

"Well, I don't need rest. I'll go with Nik. I don't want to waste time." Henrik said.

"I know you love her, little brother, but you shouldn't get yourself in danger like that. Caroline wouldn't want that." Kol disagreed.

"We'll ask her once she is back." Henrik replied stubbornly.

"Klaus Mikaelson?" A new voice called.

They all turned to see a middle-aged woman enter the tomb.

"What do you want?" Klaus snarled.

"This is for you." She handed him a stick and before any other question could be asked, she pulled a knife out of her pockets and cut her throat.

"No!" Henrik and Davina yelled in unison, while the three vampires looked at her somewhat dumbfounded.

"Compulsion?" Marcel asked.

Kol gave him a look that clearly stated 'obviously'

"So, they know where we are." Klaus stated. "Bring me a laptop." He said to no one in particular but Kol vanished and came back with the electronic device within seconds.

While Kol busied himself starting the laptop and attaching the stick to it, Klaus had a thought.

"Henrik, Davina, go get something to eat and rest. We'll be off soon." His tone left no room for discussion.

"Smart thinking." Marcel praised. After the death the two kids had just witnessed, they probably weren't ready to see what was on that tape. If it was anything similar, that is.

On the stick was one single video which Kol clicked.

The screen turned dark for a few seconds before the camera was moved and a single person, tied to a hair was seen. Her pale ski contrasting the fresh blood that was flowing freely out of her abdomen. Golden hair covered her face as her head hung low.

"We're on!" Lucien's voice announced.

Klaus felt a lump in his throat, dreading what he was sure was about to come next.

Aurora entered the screen and took her spot next to Caroline.

"Hi, Nik." She greeted with a smile.

At her words, Caroline's head moved and her wide eyes locked with the camera.

"No, please don't do this." she begged weakly.

"Don't speak unless spoken to! Didn't your mother teach you that?" Aurora snapped as she shot Caroline in the leg.

Caroline yelped at the pain, tears streaming down her face.

Aurora's face turned to the camera again.

"We got ourselves in quite the situation, Nik. You see, all you had to do was raise your baby with me. Instead, you cheated on me and played me for a fool." Her eyes shone with anger.

"While we can't compel your blonde bimbo to find out where she is hiding your child, we have quite the talent in other interrogation methods. Lucky us that they are so much more fun than compelling, too!" Aurora explained happily.

As if on cue, Tyler Lockwood joined the women with a huge bucket in his hands.

"Now, Caroline, where is your child?" Aurora asked.

Caroline was seen with her eyes closed, obviously trying to contain her frequent sobs.

"Huh, she remains silent." Aurora stated, shrugged and took a step back, so Tyler could empty the bucket over Caroline's head.

Caroline screamed at the top of her lungs as the acid like fluid attacked her skin, making her entire body burn.

"Please stop." She begged quietly.

"We only just started, darling." Lucien was heard again.

The procedure repeated itself for quite some time. Aurora asking Caroline something she wasn't willing to reveal only to be followed by a torture procedure that would make the woman scream.

At about half-way through the video Klaus' rage overpowered him, so he took the device and crashed it into the wall. Not another second. He couldn't bear to watch Caroline in pain any longer.

"Get Henrik and Davina. We're going. Now." Klaus growled and turned to get a head start.

The other men nodded, knowing that just one move out of line would make the hybrid go absolutely ballistic. Not to mention the anger they felt themselves.

They gathered quickly, Marcel and Kol taking a blood bag with them to drain on the way. Best to keep their strength up.

Klaus already sat in the car, urging them to hurry up and get in. Not waiting for anyone to fasten their seatbelts, Klaus got the car into motion with a loud screech.

He still heard Caroline's screams, couldn't turn out the pain she was in. Or the countless injuries on her body. The blood flooding out of her. It was pure mental torture for the hybrid. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt something remotely close to what he was feeling now. Not even Pape Tunde's blade hurt him as bad and intensely as that video did. After all, the blade had only made him hallucinate, it had all been in his head.

This time, it was real. Caroline was suffering in this very moment. And so far, he had done nothing to put an end to the ones who were inducing the pain on her. But he would. Anyone that stood in his way would suffer.

They reached the bayou in record time and Marcel quickly guided them to the spot he had been attacked before.

"They are coming." Klaus announced, sensing about a hundred or so vampires coming their way.

He glanced at Henrik and then at Kol who nodded in silent understanding. The message had been clear. 'You're in charge of protecting him.'

Kol knew that Klaus would not stay to fight those simple vampires. He would bite and claw his way through them until he got to Caroline's side. As much as Kol wanted to go with his brother, he knew that protecting Henrik was a priority. None of them could bear to lose their little brother again.

As soon as the vampire's were within reach, the group pounced.

Henrik and Davina channelling their power to break as many necks as possible while keeping the vampire's far enough away to stay safe.

Kol had brought his bat, punching in head after head.

Marcel, also staying close to the young withes, used all of strength to take out vampire after vampire.

Klaus, on the other hand, clawed and bit his way through the crowd, leaving a trail of bodies and loose limbs behind. He used his nose to make out Caroline's exact location and hurried her way.

Within minutes, he reached a small hut that was currently guarded by no other than Tyler Lockwood.

"I should have killed you the second you returned to Mystic Falls with that slut on your arm." Klaus snarled.

"But you didn't." Lockwood stated. "Actually, I'm surprised you were toying with Caroline for as long as you did. All that just to get Elena's blood and create your hybrid army? I would have expected something more impressive from a dude as old as you."

Klaus sneered. "Any last words, mutt?"

"You will fall, Klaus. If not by my hand, then by another's. After all, there are thousands of powerful beings out there craving revenge." Tyler said smugly.

"Then you will be one of those thousands that will die by my hand." Klaus said and flashed to his first successful creation, tearing his heart from his body.

"Didn't even possess the decency to put up a fight. What a waste." The hybrid muttered as he let the organ drop to the floor.

With a loud crack, Klaus broke open the door to the hut. Carefully, he placed his foot over the threshold, testing whether he would be granted entrance.

An evil smirk played on his lips when he realised that there was nothing stopping him from entering. Obviously, Aurora and Lucien had underestimated his capability at finding them and hadn't bothered to protect the place properly.

He heard voices whisper distantly and flashed to them in time to see Aurora raise stake.

His body moved on his own accord, running to protect the blonde woman from the deadly attack. But while his focus was solely on Aurora, he failed to pay attention to the other male in the room. Lucien attacked him with another stake and impaled it right between his shoulder blades, causing the original to fall to his knees.

He looked up and was forced to watch the red-headed vampire impale his Caroline with the stake.

"NO!" Klaus roared, desperately trying to remove the stake from himself.

"I want my brother back within twenty-four hours, or I will kill one of your siblings next." Aurora and Lucien ran.

When Klaus finally relieved himself from the stake, he flashed to Caroline's side, ripping the stake out of her body.

"Caroline." He whispered, not daring to think about the reasoning for her greying skin.

Quickly, he freed the limp body from her restrains and cradled her in his arms.

"No, Caroline. You're not leaving me." He told her, voice already strained as tears threatened to leave his eyes.

He carried her out of the hut and headed in the direction of the others. Henrik and Davina surely knew a spell. They had to.

The vampires that had attacked them lay dead on the ground and the group was about to make their way in the direction Klaus went.

"There's Nik! And Caroline!" Henrik yelled as he spotted them.

Kol watched the scene in disbelief.

"No." He whispered, remembering the last time he had seen his brother coming out of the woods, a limp body in his arms.

Klaus reached them and laid Caroline on the ground before directing his pleading eyes at Henrik and Davina.

"Please. There has to be something you can do."

Kol closed his eyes, the reality of history repeating itself too much for him to bear.

* * *

**Wow. Ok. This was seriously hard to write. **

**Please don't hate me.**

**I will probably be able to upload the next chapter within the week. **


	8. Taken Over by Darkness

**Chances**

Chapter Eight: Taken Over by Darkness

* * *

_Love of my life, don't leave me_

_You've stolen my love, you now desert me_

_Love of my life, can't you see?_

_Bring it back, bring it back (back)_

_Don't take it away from me_

_Because you don't know_

_What it means to me_

_Love Of My Life - Queen_

* * *

Somehow, the group had managed to get Klaus back to New Orleans. While he had refused to return to the cemetery, Klaus had agreed to go to the compound.

Henrik and Davina were holed up in the library, trying to find a way to do the impossible: return Caroline from the other side. Kol had joined them, not only because of his knowledge concerning witchcraft, but to be by his little brother's side. Every now and then, a tear slid down the young boy's face before he wiped it away stubbornly.

Like Klaus, Henrik refused to believe that his blonde friend was gone for good. He knew that he would do everything he could. This time, he would help bring her back. Just like she did for him.

Marcel had left, retrieving Tristan, for he knew that as soon as Klaus would stop mourning, he would try to cover his pain up with pain with cruelty. And Marcel hoped his sire and mentor would make them suffer more than anyone else.

While on his way to the cemetery, he instructed some of his vampires to search every corner of New Orleans until they found Aurora and Lucien. There was not a single spot in the entire town where those two could hide from him and his vampires.

Meanwhile, two figures were in the master bedroom of the compound; one holding the other tight against his own body. Klaus Mikaelson was refusing to let either her body, or the hope he had for her to return to him go. He kept talking to her, willing her dead body to react.

"I'm so sorry, Caroline." He whispered into her ear. "I should have never let you get close to me."

She would still be alive if it wasn't for his existence. But he had been selfish. He had wanted her for himself. For the first time in a thousand years, he had felt emotions he swore never to feel again and now he was left with the pain Caroline's death had left him with.

"I should have never left you out of my sight." He regretted.

"I can't let you leave me now, sweetheart. Not when you told my dead heart how to love again. You hear that, Caroline? I need you. Please open your eyes." His pleas didn't help, for Caroline remained lifeless in his arms.

The cruel reality started to sink in to Klaus' mind. Caroline was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. She was gone, never to return to him again.

He felt the darkness that had consumed his life prior to Caroline's glorious entrance, before she had flooded his life in blinding, warm light, overtake him once more.

The abyss was calling him back into its dark, cold depths and in this moment, he truly did not care whether it swallowed him whole or not. He felt hopeless and broken beyond repair.

As he was about to let go, to let the darkness consume his soul for good, thoughts about his siblings, memories and promises, flooded his mind. And then, a glimpse of what he had hoped for, what he had clung to since Marcel had told him about the miracle. The thought of being a father. Could he really let himself fall back into his cruel ways when somewhere his child had lost his mother?

Not able to help himself, Klaus thought back to the day he had joined Caroline at her doctor's appointment; he felt the awe and wonder, the happiness he had experienced with her once again and was reminded of the promise he had made to her and their son.

Caroline's death cannot go unpunished; he owed that to her and his son. He would paint the world red if necessary. In the end, no one would ever dare to make a move against him or his family ever again as every being will once again cower as they heard the name Klaus Mikaelson.

He would let his inner monster take over his body one last time to avenge what has been taken from him.

"I will make them suffer, my love. And when I'm done with them, I will make sure that our son grows up knowing exactly how breathtaking, kind and brave his mother was. I will make sure that he will be reminded every day of how much he is loved and wanted in this world." Klaus vowed, cradling Caroline's lifeless body for the last time.

Carefully, he laid her body down in the middle of the soft king-sized bed and left the room.

He could hear Henrik and Kol talk in the library while Davina was mumbling chants in the dungeon. He opted for the dungeon, knowing he'd find Aurora's brother.

"There's no need for that spell, Davina." Klaus said as he entered.

Marcel and Davina looked at him carefully, expecting him to freak out any second. Instead, Klaus remained calm and collected; on the outside, at least.

He walked past the vampire and witch and crouched down next to Tristan, before relieving the vampire from the hallucinatory state the blade had put him in.

Klaus straightened himself again, waiting patiently for Tristan's eyes to focus again.

When they did, Klaus urged the vampire to stand, which he did immediately.

"Tristan, I'm afraid your sister has crossed a line." Klaus began. "I was willing to show each of you mercy, kill you fast. But your sister, she had to go and anger me. As you know, I do have a rather nasty temper." A bone chilling smirk appeared on Klaus' face and Tristan knew better than to speak.

"Your sister has taken something from me. I think I should begin her torture with taking something from her as well."

With that, Klaus grabbed Tristan's head and started ripping it slowly from his shoulders, ignoring Tristan's screams until they stopped all together.

"Here, I want that wrapped up nicely." Klaus instructed and handed Tristan's head to Marcel.

Marcel nodded, wide-eyed. He had expected a raging hybrid, but the calm version he saw in front of him scared him so much more. Mentally, he thanked whatever power was in control for the blessing that was the companionship he had with the Mikaelson. Having this man as an enemy never ends good for anyone.

Klaus then left the compound. He would leave everyone to their respectable tasks for a moment while he would indulge in the one thing that would give his heart a temporary release from the pain. Blood and alcohol. He needed to let out some of the tension he felt before he could think straight and come up with a plan to take out Aurora and Lucien in most horrific way he could come up with.

* * *

Kol and Henrik sat in the library, surrounded by grimoires. Kol's mind couldn't block out the image of his brother carrying the one person he had let in in a thousand years out however. How very much it reminded him of the little boy across from him. The desperation in Klaus' eyes and the pleading in his voice were so very much like the day that had changed their lives for good.

The universe has a very cruel way of repeating the past.

"Kol?" Henrik's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I black out for a second there." Kol apologised.

"Do you think we could do it? Maybe Bonnie can help us create enough energy." Henrik mused.

"I don't know. But we have to try." Kol answered as he heard something crashing in the kitchen.

His head whipped to the side. He had heard Marcel and Davina leave shortly after Klaus had. Maybe his brother had come back already. Or someone else had forced their way into the compound.

"Henrik, I need you to stay here for a moment. Don't make a sound." Kol instructed before he left the room and Henrik behind.

While he walked towards the kitchen, he could make out that it was not Klaus inside. The movements were different. The person had to be smaller and moved differently than his brother. Or Marcel for that matter.

Next, his nose detected the sweet smell of blood. Someone was raiding their fridge from the blood bags it seems. That naturally meant that it couldn't be the witch.

Kol prepared himself to take down the intruder as he slowly opened the door to the kitchen. He looked around and saw a glimpse of blonde hair crouched in a corner near the fridge.

He got closer and could finally make out the face desperately draining the bag. His mouth opened slightly in shock as their eyes met.

"Kol, you're here. Why are you here?" She asked slightly panicked.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"You're not supposed to be dead!" She got up and looked at him with teary eyes.

"I'm not dead, darling." He said softly.

"But.." She trailed off. "Aurora stabbed me."

Instead of answering, Kol stepped closer and embraced the blonde in a tight hug.

"I know. God, we all believed you were dead!" He answered.

Caroline clung to Kol desperately for what seemed like ages.

Soft and cautious footsteps broke their embrace as they both faced the door leading to the kitchen only to find Henrik standing there, his mouth wide open before he too tackled Caroline, throwing her arms around her slim body.

"Not to break the mood or anything, but you probably want to take a shower." Kol interjected.

Henrik glared at his brother while Caroline gave him a weak smile.

"Now that we have gathered that I'm not actually on the other side, I think you're right." She said.

"Go ahead, then. I'll go fetch your stuff from the tomb in the meantime." Kol announced.

* * *

Klaus walked the streets of New Orleans aimlessly with a bottle of bourbon clutched in his hand. He had taken three lives so far, but neither the alcohol, nor the blood would do anything to fill that void in his chest.

For what he believed was the millionth time, his phone went off inside his jacket. And for what was probably the millionth time, he ignored it. He did not have the desire to interact with anyone any time soon.

So he kept walking and drinking until he realised that his steps had brought him back to the cemetery, right in front of the tomb Caroline and the others had used as a hide out. He knew that everything she had brought to New Orleans with her was still inside there somewhere. And a torturous little thought crept inside his head. Her clothes probably still smelt like her.

Not taking the time to even think about it, Klaus entered the tomb in search for her belongings. To his utter annoyance, there was no trace of them.

Deciding it was time to check his phone, Klaus unlocked the little device.

It showed 56 missed calls from Kol and several texts from him.

Klaus, fearing the worst, opened the messages first, praying that no one else had fallen victim to his incapability to deal with a threat properly.

They all said basically the same, a plea for him to return to the compound. The last one, received only minutes ago, however, differed from the rest.

**I know you're probably out there sulking, or whatever. But you need to come back right now, Nik. It's Caroline.**

Klaus pressed the dial button in order to find out what else could have happened to her already dead form.

"How very gracious of you to finally return my call, brother." Kol answered.

"What happened?" Klaus snapped.

"Cool it down, ok? Come home. I don't think that's something I should be telling you over the phone." Kol explained.

"I swear, if you let someone steal her body in my absence..." Klaus threatened but was cut of by a beeping sound that indicated that could have possessed the audacity to hang up on him.

Now rather furious, Klaus flashed through the streets of New Orleans. This way, it only took him minutes until he arrived at the compound.

"Kol!" Klaus yelled for his brother.

"Seriously, I just got Henrik to go to sleep and you march in here yelling like crazy?" A female voice spoke from the top of the stairs.

Klaus looked up immediately, not believing his eyes. It couldn't be. The alcohol and adrenaline he still felt from taking lives clouded his mind. There was no way she would be there, right in front of him, casting away the darkness all around him once more.

"You're not real." He stated quietly, but she heard him.

He turned to leave again, not ready to deal with this kind of torture, when the blonde flashed in front of him, effectively blocking his way.

"You are so not walking away from me again!" She proclaimed.

"I will do whatever I please. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." Klaus said calmly.

"Oh, yeah? Watch me!" Caroline put her hands on her hips.

"What do you want from me? I cannot bring you back! What use is hounding me when there is nothing I can do for you any more?" Klaus asked.

"I'm right here, Klaus!" Caroline said a little softer now.

"No, you are dead! And it's my fault!" Klaus yelled, throwing the almost empty bottle of bourbon against the nearest wall.

Caroline decided that talking to him would do no good and closed the distance between them instead. She wrapped her arms around his torso and snuggled her head into the crook of his neck.

Klaus felt immobilised from the shock he felt when her body touched his. It felt real, too real. Even the scent he remembered filled his nostrils one again. He inhaled deeply, hoping to memorise it.

"I'm here, Nik. And I'm not leaving." She assured him.

Finally, he returned her embrace, moving his arms around her waist, until he grabbed her shoulders and separated her from him.

"Why did you have to get involved in this? Why didn't you stay in the safe house like I asked you to?" He demanded to know suddenly.

"What?" Caroline gasped, confused.

"You heard me, Caroline. How could you be so foolish to put yourself in such great danger?" He asked again.

"Excuse me? I helped you! Plus I knew exactly what I put myself into. It was a conscious decision." Caroline replied.

"So, you didn't care at all what you had to lose? What our son could lose were anything to happen to you?" He got mad now.

"I knew what I could loose, Klaus! But I decided that I what I had to gain outdid all the possible risks." She shot back.

"How could anything outdo watching your child grow up?" He asked angrily.

"Watching him grow up with his father by his side." Caroline shut him up effectively. "And if you would get your head out of your ass and stopped yelling, we could come up with a plan that will bring us back to him as soon as possible."

"Us? Absolutely not." Klaus rejected her words and Caroline's heart sank in her chest. "No, you and Henrik will go back to the safe house right now. You've put yourself in quite enough danger already."

"And let you handle this alone again? I don't think so. We will fight with you, whether you like it, or not." She claimed.

"Absolutely not." Klaus denied, yet again.

"What's your problem?" Caroline threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

"My problem is that I have carried both of your dead bodies once and I do not intend to do so ever again!" Caroline could make out several emotions in his voice and remembered what Kol and Henrik told her while they waited for Klaus to come back home.

He carried you to us, begged Henrik and Davina to help you. I only saw him hurt as much once in my life. It killed me to see him like this again.

"Then let us help. If we're by your side, you can make sure we are okay. Besides, they still have no clue about Henrik or what he is capable of! And they think I'm dead. We can use that to our advantage!" Caroline tried to convince him.

"How did they bring you back anyway?" Klaus asked, changing the topic.

"They didn't." Caroline answered. "I woke up. I thought I was on the other side. But then Kol showed up and Henrik did some kind of spell using my blood. Remember that the spell that bound us was never really broken? Only some of the effects were cut off. Turns out my body adapted to yours and I can't be killed by regular wood. Not really."

"Like an original." Klaus summarised.

"Exactly." Caroline agreed. "And that'S exactly why you don't need to worry about me. All of the white oak stakes have been destroyed. We can end this together."

"You do what I say, when I say so. When I tell you to run, you run." Klaus said and Caroline grinned.

"Ok. In turn, I don't want you to do anything stupid like letting yourself be daggered by a blade that puts oyu into a hallucinatory state."

Klaus nodded and then looked at her curiously. The fact that she actually was right there, alive and well finally setting in.

"I'm happy you're okay, love." He finally said.

"Yeah, me too." She smiled at him. "How about we sit down and talk for a while before planning Aurora's demise? I have something I want to show you."

"Of course." Klaus agreed and Caroline left, fetching something.

They mat again in the living room, Klaus already sitting on the sofa, glass of champagne in hand.

"Alcohol? Don't you think you've had enough already?" Caroline asked.

"Well, it is our thing, isn't it?" He replied with a smirk and Caroline rolled her eyes, a big smile across her features.

She grabbed the other glass and sat down next to him.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Klaus asked, eager to know.

Caroline bit her lip and handed him a photo.

Klaus took it in his hand, heart thumping heavily against his chest. It was a photo of her cradling a tiny baby in her arms while smiling brightly at the bundle in her arms.

"I wish I could introduce you properly, but this will have to do for now." Caroline said.

"He's beautiful." Klaus said in a whisper.

"I hope you're not mad, but I gave him a name already." Caroline looked at him nervously. "Josef Nikolas Mikaelson. Nikolas in honour of his father and the uncle that took great care of me and every one else when you were out here, fighting for our safety."

Klaus smiled at her and took one of her hands in his.

"Thank you, Caroline."

They sat there in silence, just gazing into each others eyes.

Slowly, they lent in, lips touching carefully.

Caroline pulled back suddenly, creating space between them much to Klaus' dismay.

"I'm sorry, but I this is seriously the wrong time."

"I thought I'd lost you today. I will never waste another second. When I held your dead body in my arms, I hated myself for leaving you. For not spending enough time with you. For saying these awful words to you. I hated myself for letting you get hurt, unable to prevent it." Klaus confessed.

"It wasn't your fault." Caroline tried to stop him from blaming himself for what had happened with Aurora.

"But it was. All of this is because of me. But I will never let anyone touch you ever again. I will always protect you." He vowed, making Caroline's heart flutter. "And will never make you feel any less precious ever again. When this is over, I will never leave your side again, Caroline."

"Klaus..."

"When I came back to Mystic Falls and talked to you in your mother's kitchen, you told me that I had no idea how hard it was to get over the father of your child. Well, sweetheart, you have no idea how hard it is to not be able to be with the only one who ever made me feel like this. How hard it was for me to walk away. I will make sure that you won't have the opportunity to fully get over me. No, I will do anything it takes for you to give me that second chance."

* * *

So, you guys knew, of course, that Caroline couldn't stay dead for long. I mean, come on! It's a Klaroline fic and I seriously ship those two. No way in hell one of them could actually die! Right?

However, I wanna thank you all for the kind reviews. All of them filled me with happiness! I was really scared that some of you would be mad for the way the last chapter ended and I expected some of you to show this through your reviews. BUT none of that happened which makes me love you all so much more!

How are we all liking little Josef's name? I know some of you proposed names and I really like those ideas! But I had this one in mind for far too long to change to something else.

Also, I hope you enjoyed the Klaroline interaction. I mean, so far, the story is lacking those. For a good reason, obviously, but still.

Much love and a big fat thank you! :)


	9. AN

**Hey guys! I just wanted to let y'all know that I am truly sorry for the long waits between the chapters.****My life is kinda going crazy or rather has been crazy for too long. I mean, putting this note out has been on my mind for at least two weeks now and yet I could not find the time to actually do it.**** I still have to work on some issues and get back to normal before I can start uploading again.****I hope everything will be settled during the next weeks or so.****I really appriciate each and every one of you awsome people who continue to put up with the waits without complaining and eagerly wait for the next chapter. Thank you!****Much love to all of you! **


	10. Overpowered

**AN: **Hello, everyone. First of all, yes, this is an actual new chapter! Which means I finally got my shit together enough to keep working on my creative projects. I'm still struggling, honestly, but I am working on myself and all the issues that are holding me back.

I'm sorry it took me so long to put a new chapter out. But while I stepped down from writing for a while, I still saw the kind reviews and all the new followers. Thanks to all the people that stuck around patiently and understanding that I had to take some time for myself. Your kind words sometimes appeared at moments when I was really down. And they helped to put at least a tiny smile on my face.

I had really intended to be back sooner, but life kept pushing me back down.

The story doesn't have that many chapters left and I will try to update weekly from now on. If my schedule allows it, even more often. We'll see.

Anyway, I hope you all are safe and healthy during this crazy ride that is 2020!

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chances**

Chapter Nine: Overpowered  


* * *

_Got another mouth to feed_

_Leave her with a baby sitter, mama, call the grave digger_

_Gone with the fallen leaves_

_Am I coming out of left field?_

_Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now_

_I been feeling it since 1966, now_

_Might've had your fill, but you feel it still_

_Feel it Still - Portugal. The Man_

* * *

"Niklaus!" A female voice sounded through the compound.

"I don't think you should" A male voice tuned in but was cut off almost instantly.

"I am seriously fed up with you arrogant males trying to tell me what it is I can and cannot do, so kindly shut up!" The female snapped back, effectively silencing her male companion.

"I know you can hear me! Come out before I have to get you!" She demanded loudly.

A door opened behind her, making her turn around to glare at whoever happened to be at the other side of that door.

"I think that's enough shouting for now, sister." Klaus walked confidently into the room, Caroline close behind him.

"What the bloody hell do you two think you're doing here?" Rebekah put her hands on her hips in anger.

Behind her, Marcel stood looking apologetic at the both of them.

"Well, we were having a way overdue chat which you and your temper so rudely interrupted." Klaus answered calmly.

"What are you doing here, Bekah?" Caroline asked a little panicked.

"Me? I should be asking you the same question, Caroline! Not only did you leave your newborn child behind, but you also took my baby brother into a war zone!" Rebekah countered. "Are you out of your damn mind? We were worried sick about you!"

"What choice did I have? There was no way you guys would let me go and help if I'd said something." Caroline defended herself.

"And for good reason!" Rebekah shrieked.

"Why aren't you at the safe house? And is there one single person in this family who still deems it necessary to do what I say?" Klaus spoke up, slightly annoyed by the continuous ignorance of his siblings.

"Oh, don't you get me started on you, Niklaus!" Rebekah said, not at all bothered by Klaus' words.

"Okay, this is going nowhere." Caroline tried to calm down the situation. "Obviously, we are all unsatisfied with our current situation. How about, instead of shouting and pointing fingers at each other, we use that energy to end this entire mess and go back home?"

"I'm with Caroline." Marcel finally spoke up, causing both Mikaelsons to glare at him in unison.

"What? The lady's got a good point!" He explained further.

"The others are either resting or preparing for the final battle. We could put our heads together and work out a plan." Caroline suggested.

"We don't need one." Klaus interjected.

The blondes looked at him incredulously.

"Because that worked out so good the last few times, right?" Rebekah remarked. "I mean, honestly, what have you all been doing for so long?"

"There is no need for a plan, because, by now, Aurora must have received her present, which in turn functions as a clear warning for all the vampires that so foolishly helped them before." Klaus ignored Rebekah's questions completely.

"Present?" She asked again.

"Yeah, Tristan's head." Marcel clarified. "Anyone who has at least one brain cell left should be running as fast and far away as possible right now."

"Or I do to them what I did to that slimy little git." Klaus said proudly.

"What about the white oak?"

"It's gone. Of course, Aurora and Lucien don't know that little detail." Caroline said, smiling slightly.

"So, all we have to do is make a surprise visit to their little hide out and kill them." Klaus looked at Marcel expectantly.

"They are currently in an old warehouse by the docks. I got two of my vampires watching them." He reported.

"Excellent!" Klaus said with a wide smile.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go. I cannot wait for the both of you to get back to Liz." Rebekah said with an evil smile.

Caroline's eyes widened. She hadn't spared one second to think about what her mother had to say about her decision to walk out on them and run to Klaus' side.

Rebekah smirked at Caroline, satisfied with the reaction her words had gotten out of her.

"Bekah, so nice of you to join us." Kol walked in and greeted his sister without a care in the world.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, Marcel groaned and Klaus massaged his temples to try and keep his temper at bay.

As much as he appreciated his siblings' willingness to come to his aid, he had absolutely no desire to be bothered by their constant quarrels.

"No need for all this excitement, Bekah." Kol said with a grin. "Let me just grab Davina and Henrik quickly before we kick their asses."

"No! Henrik will stay exactly where he is!" Rebekah ordered.

"He has already proven himself, Bekah." Kol pointed out.

"I don't care. He's a child, so he stays here." Rebekah replied angrily.

"Let me stop you before you rip each other's heads off." Klaus interjected. "Henrik is coming. I might not have agreed with it in the beginning as well, but Kol has a point. Henrik is strong enough. Moreover, Aurora and Tristan hardly pose a threat to us any longer. Should anything go wrong, which won't happen, we should be more than capable to protect Henrik."

Rebekah was about to argue but Klaus gave her a look that clearly stated that the last word had been spoken. So, Rebekah simply scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her, ignoring Kol's satisfied grin at being backed up by Klaus for once.

"Get them, Kol. I don't see the point in waiting any longer."

The original obliged and flashed away immediately only to return with Davina and Henrik shortly after.

Henrik looked unsure at Rebekah, fully aware that he would be getting an earful from his sister as soon as the opportunity arose.

"Great. Now that we are all assembled, Marcel will lead us to the docks." Klaus announced.

* * *

"Vampire's have come and gone for some time now. Most of them running as soon as they entered. The two vampires inside seem to be arguing." One of Marcel's vampires reported as soon as they arrived.

"Thank you." Marcel easily dismissed his soldier.

"Just so you know, Aurora is mine." Caroline announced.

"Is that so?" Klaus asked, smirking.

"Well, I owe her. She killed me, so I'll kill her." Caroline shrugged.

"Excuse me?" Rebekah shrieked.

"And that's the part where we stop talking!" Kol interrupted rather amused.

"Wouldn't that be why I rip out her heart?" Klaus addressed Caroline, not minding Kol or Rebekah at all.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You are aware that this is neither the place, nor the time to flirt, right?" She challenged.

Klaus only grinned toothily at her.

"Do you two want some alone time to work on that tension while we slap around these two morons?" Kol asked, grinning broadly.

"Shut up!" Caroline slapped him across the arm before strutting towards the building Marcel's guy had pointed out.

Before anyone could react, Caroline knocked on the door as if she were casually visiting a friend.

The group tensed, some of them rolling their eyes at Caroline's behaviour. Klaus on the other hand found it rather difficult to hide his pride. Caroline sure was fit to be a queen.

When the door didn't open after two seconds, Caroline proceeded to kick it down.

"Well, that was unnecessary." Rebekah remarked.

"Hello." Klaus greeted just as casually as Caroline had knocked on the door.

"You bastard!" Aurora yelled as they walked into the warehouse.

"Why does everybody feel the need to point that out, I wonder?" Kol thought out loud.

"What the hell?!" Lucien gaped upon seeing Caroline. "You were dead!"

"Yeah, I know." Caroline put on her best fake smile before her features changed into that of the deadly predator that was resting behind her beautiful face.

"Don't move!" Lucien threateningly held a stake in hand. "Surrender now and some of you might get to live."

"You do realize that you are seriously outnumbered, right?" Caroline interjected.

"She's right. You might want to overthink your situation for a second. Two powerful witches, 5 vampires, not to mention most of them originals, and then there you two are. Nothing more than ordinary wood to defend yourselves with." Kol added gleefully.

Before Lucien or Aurora could contradict Kol's words, the stakes changed as the magic put upon them was removed by Henrik and Davina.

"How?" Lucien spoke, just now grasping the dangerous situation he was in.

"You have been alive for such a long time and still you understand nothing." Klaus mocked. "While I admit that you had caught me by surprise in the beginning, Originals are usually always a step ahead."

"I'd say he had you with your tail between your legs and acting like a complete imbecile." Rebekah remarked. "But I believe what Nik is trying to tell you here is that your little game is over. And now, it's time to pay the price for what you did."

The tension in the room grew as Lucien and Aurora tried to process what the original siblings had been telling them. That was until Kol was on Lucien, ripping the stake from his hand and piercing it into his leg. The pained yell he received made him grin.

"I think it's about time we quit the chit chat and move on to what we came here for." He announced to the questioning glares.

Out of nowhere, Caroline procured a stake as well and pushed it into Aurora's side full force.

"You bitch!" Aurora tried to lash out as well, trying to throw a punch at the younger vampire, but Klaus was by their side instantly, holding her arm back firmly.

"Let go of me, Niklaus!" Aurora demanded.

"I can handle myself, Klaus." Caroline growled.

"I'm sure you can, love. But unlike my brother, I am not willing to risk your life. Again." Klaus said casually, while Caroline ripped the stake out of Aurora's body.

"Klaus, stay out of this." Caroline ordered.

"How about we let Aurora decide who gets to kill her? What do you say?" Klaus addressed the vampire he was still restraining.

"Bite me!" snapped before realizing what she had said. "No! That's not what I meant!

"What a marvellous idea!" Klaus grinned broadly before his face transformed, his teeth sharpening.

He moved Aurora's arm closer to his mouth, while she tried to fight him. The hybrid buried his teeth into her wrist savagely, ripping large portions of flesh out in the process.

Aurora wailed in agony when Klaus pushed her to the ground carelessly.

"Seriously." Caroline rolled her eyes at the smile she received from Klaus.

Rebekah had remained behind, standing close to both mortals in case their enemies still had followers lurking around. If someone was dumb enough to try and attack Henrik or Davina, Rebekah would make sure to murder them.

Lucien could be heard struggling against Kol and Marcel until Davina decided to use a spell so strong it would simply knock him out.

"Way to take the fun out of something." Kol groaned.

"He was annoying me." Davina shrugged.

"Henrik, Davina, I want you to put a spell on this house. Make sure no one can leave or enter." Klaus instructed.

"Why?" Henrik asked.

"Let me guess, you want to bite Lucien, too. Then leave them here until they either finish each other off or die from the poison in their system?" Caroline said.

"I like that idea." Rebekah said.

"Well, I don't." Aurora roared, getting up.

In the blink of an eye, her body fell to the ground again, her neck broken.

"Good thing no one asked you, then." Caroline retorted, standing over Aurora's limp body.

"Can we get on with it, now? I promised the others I would be back with at least Caroline and Henrik in no time." Rebekah said.

"What about me?" Kol looked offended.

"You can take care of yourself." Rebekah shrugged, which in turn made Caroline glare at her. "Hey, don't look at me like that. You still have to tell me how these two killed you."

"All done, let's get out of here." Klaus cut in, liking Luciens blood from his lips.

"Yeah, let's move before they wake up." Marcel agreed.

Once their group had left the house, Davina and Henrik set to work on their spell.


	11. Coming Home

**Chances**

Chapter ten: Coming Home

* * *

_You gave me the time and the space_

_I was out of control, and I'm sorry I let you down_

_Guess that I know what I already knew_

_I was better with you, and I miss you now_

_Habit - Louis Tomlinson_

* * *

"I'm ready. Let's go, guys!" Caroline announced walking into the dining room of the Mikaelson's New Orleans home.

Henrik and Davina were digging in some take out that smelled divine, while the vampires sucked on blood bags. But nothing could deviate Caroline's mind from what she truly wanted. And that was to get back to the safe house as soon as possible, hopefully dodging her mother on the way in so she could go straight to holding her son in her arms again.

"Me too," Henrik replied, his mouth still filled with food.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Henrik." Rebekah chastised. "And you are going straight to bed once you finished your food. From what I've heard neither of you has slept properly in days."

"So? Henrik can sleep in the car and the rest of us are vampires. We'll manage." Kol shrugged to which Henrik nodded frantically.

"Rebekah is right. Henrik needs some proper rest. A few hours of sleep in the back of a car won't do it." Klaus agreed with his sister.

"So, what are you suggesting? That we all just lay back and waste even more time while our child has to be without his parents even longer?" Caroline snapped. "No. I'm going back now, with or without you guys."

"You didn't let me finish, love," Klaus said as he got up. "Rebekah and Kol will stay here with Henrik for another day while you and I go back to the safe house."

"Hey!" Kol protested.

"Tomorrow, you can drive straight to Mystic Falls. We will all join you there as soon as possible."

"Sounds good to me." Caroline agreed, more than eager to get on the road already.

"Oh, calm down, Kol. I'm with Nik."

"Well, that's settled then. Rebekah, you're in charge of making sure these two behave" Klaus instructed to a smiling Rebekah. "Caroline, please grab a blood bag for the road."

Caroline, even though she hated to be ordered around, obliged instantly.

"All set." She told him, a bag of red liquid in her hand.

They said their goodbyes to Marcel and Davina and reassured Henrik that their separation wouldn't hold on as long as last time before leaving the mansion and settling into Klaus' car.

Caroline was now sitting in the passenger's seat impatiently, her blood bag already empty. With nothing else to do to occupy her thoughts and calm her nerves, she tapped a finger against her leg repeatedly

"I'm going as fast as I can without risking a car crash that would do nothing but delay us even more." Klaus tried to calm her down.

"I know." The blonde sighed. "I just want to be back home and hold him in my arms, make sure he is safe."

"Your mother is with him. And so is Elijah. I'm sure he is safe and taken care of." Klaus assured her, trying to hide the anxiety regret he felt.

"Don't worry, he'll love you." Caroline could feel the nervous tension radiating from her companion and easing his nerves was a welcome distraction to the flattering of her own.

The hybrid's only response was a heavy sigh and the tightening of his hands on the steering wheel.

"Remember what we talked about when you came back to Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked.

"I'm afraid you have to be more specific, sweetheart," Klaus replied.

Back then, I asked you to think about everything once the danger had been dealt with. I asked you to only come back to us if you were absolutely sure you could be fully committed to being a father." She explained.

"You have doubts, then?" Klaus tried hard to ask this as casual as he could.

"No. I'm actually pretty sure you can do it." Klaus raised a brow, surprised with the confidence in her voice.

"And what makes you so certain?" He asked.

"When they had me chained to that chair, I gave up for a while. Tried to make my peace with the inevitability of my approaching death. My thoughts drifted to Josef, of course, and how he would have to grow up without his mom. While that thought tortured me, I knew that in the end, he would be okay. Because even if I wouldn't make it out of there alive, I knew you would. I knew he would have at least one parent with him. Someone that would love and adore him, make sure he would lead a happy and safe life." Saying all of that aloud was hard and Caroline struggled to hold back the tears. "Then, I realized that if I had to die, I owed it to him and you to go out with as much dignity as possible. So, I fought. Thinking about you and what you had sacrificed to keep us safe. The pain you had endured for us."

"Caroline" Klaus started, but Caroline held a hand up, effectively stopping his speech.

"It's ok now. I'm here now. I just told you all of this so you would understand that even though you might doubt yourself right now, I believe in you." The warm smile Caroline send him, made his undead heart flutter.

"Thank you. Your confidence in me means a lot, love." Klaus tried his best to reciprocate the smile.

"You're welcome, Nik."

"So, you ran off without telling your mother?" Klaus quickly changed the topic much to Caroline's dismay.

"I knew she would never let me go if I told her, okay?" Caroline defended herself.

"Of course. Because obviously she and Elijah are the only ones that know how to act as responsible people." He teased.

"Excuse me? Did I or did I not safe you and help you deal with the threat?" She argued.

"You did, of course. While I'm not too proud about the fact that I needed it in the first place. He admitted. "Plus, you gave all of us a real scare."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Caroline groaned.

"It will be imprinted in my brain for eternity, of that I'm sure." Klaus said.

"You won't tell my mom though, will you?" There was a hint of panic in her voice.

"No, I won't. But I know that if Kol doesn't, then Rebekah will."

"Why would she do that?" Caroline asked, appalled.

"Because she is probably still mad at you. Until now, she didn't have a chance to lecture you on that specific part of your trip to safe me. Chances are she will team up with Liz to make sure you will understand just how much she disapproved of your sudden whim to rush to New Orleans and almost die to protect me." Klaus explain.

Caroline groaned, realizing that he had made a very strong point there. Her mother will have a fit, that much was sure.

"Don't worry, if push comes to shove, I can still swoop in and remind them of the fact that none of this would have been necessary had I dealt with the danger properly to start with." He winked.

"Oh, that will only make them lash out at both of us instead." Caroline laughed.

"At least we can suffer together, then." He grinned.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Caroline spoke up again.

"Do you remember the last time we were sitting together in the car for a long drive?" Caroline asked.

"I hope this is not your way of telling me to shut up." Klaus teased.

"Maybe?" Caroline grinned. "But no. It's not."

"Then yes, I remember." He answered her question.

"I was just thinking, it's crazy how fast life changes, you know? I mean, back then, Tyler and I had just broken up, I was hating the fact that I was forced to spend time with you."

"You don't hate to spend time with me anymore, I take it?" Klaus asked.

"That depends."

"On what exactly?"

"Last time, after we left New Orleans, I felt that everything had changed between us. I was ready to allow myself to trust you and give in to your advances." Caroline began and Klaus had a sinking feeling that he knew where this was going. "And things did change for a while. I thought when Henrik came back and Esther had been dealt with, things would only become better." She sighed.

"But I destroyed what we had." Klaus finished.

"While I do have faith in you when it comes to Josef, I'm not sure that I can let myself trust you like that again."

"Why are we talking about that now, Caroline? Why not wait until we were at the safe house?" He asked.

"Because of what happened in New Orleans. You knew we were way overdue for a talk like that. And I thought maybe we can come up with a plan now so we don't have to bother later and focus on Josef."

"Still, I would prefer to talk about that when I can give you my full attention." Because how was he supposed to win her over while speeding the car along the road.

"We should at least discuss our living arrangement then." Caroline insisted.

"As I said, we're going back to Mystic Falls as soon as possible. I thought you would like to be close to your mother for as long as possible, correct?"

"Yes, I do. But what about you? I know Rebekah, Kol and Henrik don't mind staying in Mystic Falls for some time."

"I will stay with you, wherever you decide to go. I have a lot to make up for with all of you."

"Okay. That's good." Caroline agreed.

"When I was gone, did you have plans for you and Josef? I mean did you want to stay with your mother?" He asked cautiously.

"Initially, I wanted to leave Mystic Falls. But then the barrier appeared and rendered that plan useless. Bekah offered to let me move in. The house my mother and I live in would be too small for an additional person." Caroline confessed.

"I would like that." Klaus agreed. "You could have your old room back if you want."

"I'd like that." Caroline agreed. While this arrangement wouldn't help her keep him at a safe distance to her emotionally, it enabled both of them to properly care for their son.

"Thank you." He wasn't sure if Caroline would be amenable to that idea.

"I just want what's best for him. Plus, I think Rebekah would throw another fit if her nephew wouldn't move in with her after all." Caroline joked, trying to break the tension that had kept building between them.

"Better not risk my sister's wrath." Klaus winked.

"Exactly." She nodded. "Oh, and don't take this the wrong way, but would you mind turning on the radio?"

"So you did try to get me to shut up after all!" Klaus grinned but did what Caroline asked of him. Her giggled reward enough.

The rest of the ride had been filled with music and occasionally Caroline's voice as she sang along to the songs she liked. And when the sun began to set, they finally arrived at their destination.

Caroline didn't even wait for Klaus to bring the car to a halt before jumping out and flashing to the house and entering through the door. Klaus got out of the car as fast as possible as well, following Caroline into the building. He passed the living room that still contained some of the house's inhabitants who were seemingly trying to rush after Caroline as well.

"Niklaus." Elijah spoke but Klaus ignored him in favour of finding Caroline and his son.

Finding out in which room they were wasn't that hard, for he heard Sheriff Forbes chastise her daughter.

"What were you thinking, Caroline?" Her mother sounded angry, as expected. "I never expected you to act so foolishly!"

"Mom, please. Can we not do this now?" Caroline answered as Klaus entered.

Nothing could have prepared Klaus for what he was seeing. Caroline holding their son, beaming at him while he grabbed her hair curiously.

She looked up and directed her smile at him. His undead heart swelled as the emotions took over his body. He took a few cautious steps closer to them.

"Look who mommy brought back!" Caroline addressed the infant. "That's right, it's your daddy."

She closed the distance between her and Klaus then, offering Klaus to hold him.

Carefully he reached for his son and removed him from his mother's arm only to cradle him close to his chest.

His son looked at him and Klaus was in awe. All of this still felt surreal. He kissed Josef's head, trying to somehow make this tiny being feel the happiness he felt inside.

Caroline was standing by his side looking at the exchange with watery eyes.

"He's beautiful." Klaus said.

And he knew at this moment, that he would do his best to become a better man. His siblings might be used to forgiving him for lashing out and hurting them repeatedly. But that's not what he wanted for his child. He promised himself that he will be the father Josef deserved. The father he himself had always longed for.


	12. The Bet

**Chances**

Chapter Eleven:The Bet

* * *

_And oh we started_

_Two hearts in one home_

_It's hard when we argue_

_We're both stubborn_

_I know, but oh_

_Sw__eet creature, sweet creature_

_Wherever I go, you bring me home_

_Sweet Creature - Harry Styles_

* * *

There were moments now that Caroline almost forgot what had happened, basked in the familiarity of the mansion. Of course, these moments were rare and rather short. Reality would soon catch up with her and remind her of the dreadful months she had spent in emotional pain and uncertainty. Life could not have been more different from what she had pictured for herself more than a year ago. Before she was forced to get to know Klaus Mikaelson and all the baggage he brought with him. All she had wanted back then was to finish High School with her best friends, go to college with them and stay close to her mother before life would catch up with her in a way it would never catch up with Caroline herself.

Instead, she had become a part of the oldest family on earth. Now she was raising a child with the one person she and her friends had sought to kill before everything went wrong. Life could be strange sometimes, that much was sure.

Being back in Mystic Falls felt good nevertheless. Sharing a home with Klaus was less stressful than she had anticipated, too. He was really invested in making up for his wrongs. May it be him being a better brother to his siblings or him trying his best to be a good father. Needless to say, Caroline had a hard time to keep things between him and her platonic. Still, her mind often wandered to the short time they had spent together before. Struggling not to get stuck in an endless loop of what-ifs.

But tonight, Caroline looked forward to hanging out at the Grill with the others. Once in a while, Liz would pick up her grandchild to spent some quality time with him alone. This meant that Caroline had almost an entire day and all night to do the things she could not do with her child around. Namely, having an uninterrupted lunch with her friends and a night at the Grill that included alcohol.

"You look pretty." Henrik's voice snapped Caroline out of her thoughts.

"Why, thanks, Henrik!" Caroline grinned. She wore a tight black shirt with a dark red leather jacket and black skinny jeans with some heals.

"Henrik, what are you doing? You now that Elijah will have both our heads if I fail to deliver you to that sleep-over on time." Klaus joined them, chastising his little brother lightly.

"I know. But don't you think he would be mad if I had not complimented a Lady on her beauty?" Henrik shot back with a grin.

The hybrids eyebrows shot up and he was clearly fighting a smile before looking over Caroline herself.

"You know what? I think you're right. It would be a crime not to compliment this Lady for her beauty," He winked at Henrik.

Caroline giggled, shaking her head at the display.

"Well, as much appreciated as your comments are, I have places to be. And so do you." Caroline pointed out.

"Of course, come on, Henrik." Klaus sent one more smile in her directions before heading to his car.

"See you tomorrow, Care!" Henrik gave her a wave and hurried after his brother.

Caroline checked her appearance in the mirror again, checking her make-up and making sure that the curls on her head were still as perfect as she wanted them to be before leaving the mansion as well.

As was to be expected on a Saturday evening, the Grill was already packed with all kinds of people. She had just spotted her friends in their usual booth when a stranger approached her.

"Hello there, gorgeous." He greeted flashing his white teeth.

"Excuse me, but am I supposed to know who you are?" She had literally just walked in when he walked up to her oozing confidence.

"Not yet. But how about we change that over a few drinks?" He asked and Caroline saw his pupils change.

"Did you seriously just try to compel me?" She growled.

He looked startled for a moment before chuckling.

"Looks like they were right. This place is crowded with vampires. Sorry, gorgeous. Let me buy you a drink to make up for it?"

"How about you leave while you still can? Because, honestly, the only thing keeping me from stabbing you right now are the humans surrounding us." Pictures of Damon and how he had used her when she was still human flashed through her mind, fuelling her anger towards the stranger.

"Feisty. I like it." He didn't let up.

"Caroline, is there a problem?" Kol had watched the two of them and seen Caroline tense up at the stranger's words.

"No, Kol. Everything is fine." Caroline answered, not breaking eye contact with the man. To her surprise, a flicker of recognition flashed his eyes at their names.

"So, you are Caroline? It's my pleasure." He grinned once more before turning to Kol. "Which means that you are a Mikaelson."

"Come on, darling. The others are waiting." Kol addressed Caroline.

The strangers just watched them walk away curiously.

"You sure you're alright?" Kol asked again. "You looked pretty tense."

"No, really. I'm all good, don't worry." Caroline assured him again.

They joined the others and Caroline was quick to banish the thoughts of the creepy stranger to the back of her mind. That was until he was joined by none other than Elena and her boyfriend Damon.

Elena used to be her best friend. But lately, they kept drifting further apart. Elena not happy about her relationship to the Mikaelsons, most of all Klaus. While Caroline totally abhorred the fact that Elena had chosen Damon over Stefan.

"How do you think they know him?" Rebekah asked, eyeing the trio as well.

"Beats me." Caroline shrugged.

"Just ignore them." Bonnie said.

"Don't you want to go and say hi to Elena?" Caroline asked, slightly put off by her friend's comment.

"Why would I?" Bonnie huffed, much to Caroline's surprise.

"Spill. What happened, Bon?" Rebekah nudged.

"I met her earlier. We were catching up when she suddenly tried to berate me for helping Henrik with his magic. She told me that he would only use it against us in the end and how irresponsible it was of me to actually teach a Mikaelson." Bonnie explained. "I mean, I told her that he is just a kid, and a nice one, too. But she wouldn't have it."

"I really hope she knows that she is dead if she tries anything to put our baby brother in danger. " Rebekah growled.

"She wouldn't do that." Caroline argued.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure that Damon will come up with a plan to get rid of Henrik should he feel threatened by his power. And the doppelganger would surely support him. No matter what." Rebekah pointed out.

"Even if that were to happen, I'm sure Henrik would be capable of taking care of it himself. He is a quick learner and really powerful." Bonnie said, getting nods from the rest.

"Just imagine Elena's shock when she finds out that you have finally agreed to go out with me." Kol grinned.

"It's one date, Kol. Don't get too excited." Bonnie smirked.

"And a pity date, too." Rebekah joined in.

"Hey, that's not true!" Kol objected. "Bonnie just finally realised that she cannot resist me any longer."

"Yeah, right." Rebekah shot back.

"While you guys talk it out, I'm going to use the bathroom." Caroline announced, not in the mood for the sibling's banter. Plus, the stranger's attempt to compel her before still made her uncomfortable.

She checked herself in the mirror once again, mentally giving herself a small pep talk. Reminding herself that she cannot be compelled anymore. That she will never have to go through something so terrible ever again. With one last smile toward her face in the mirror, she exited the bathroom again.

But once again, she was confronted with the stranger.

"Ugh, seriously! Are you following me?" Caroline asked, exasperated.

"I can't help myself. You're beautiful." He shrugged.

"And not interested." Caroline pointed out.

"I'm sure I can change that." He grinned before trying to close the distance between them.

Caroline's body moved before her brain caught up with the movements. She grabbed his right wrist and twisted the arm until a loud cracking indicated that she had successfully broken at least one bone.

"Fuck." he groaned.

"Take the hint now, will you?" Caroline snapped while increasing their distance.

"What can I say, I like them feisty." The stranger said again and Caroline could not believe him.

When he tried to close the distance again, Caroline prepared herself to do some serious damage. Only that she didn't have to. Before he could come close enough, his limp body collided with the ground.

"Are you okay, love?" Klaus was there, towering over the fallen body.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline replied.

"Book night with Elijah got boring very fast." He shrugged. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm fine. In case you didn't notice, I had already broken some bones before you swooshed in. I could have handled him alone, you know?"

"Why was it necessary anyway?" Klaus wanted to know.

"He wouldn't take a hint." Caroline said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I know from experience that not taking a hint alone does not make you violent." Klaus pointed out.

"Can we not discuss this right now?" Caroline turned around only for Klaus to flash in front of her.

"No. Not this time, Caroline. Every time I'm trying to have a serious conversation, you feed me some excuse for why you don't want to talk about it this moment. I'm done waiting. I will not let you walk away right now when I know that something is wrong." He announced.

"And I'm done with you treating me like I can't do anything without protection. Because, newsflash, I can. I'm stronger than you make me out to be!" Caroline yelled.

"I just want to know you're safe! Maybe you forgot that one time you died in front of my eyes, I certainly didn't!" Klaus growled back.

"But I didn't even die!" She snapped.

"That's not the point!"

"No, that is absolutely the point, Klaus!"

"Looks like we're interrupting quite the spat." Caroline could not control the groan that escaped her instantly. Why couldn't she have one goddamn night for herself, without someone doing their best to annoy her?

"What the hell did you do to Enzo?" Damon asked, spotting his friend's lifeless body on the ground.

"He got what he deserved." Caroline snapped.

"No need for you to be rude, you know? But from what I can see he lost our bet." Damon shrugged.

"Bet?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah. Since you and Barbie aren't a thing anymore, I bet him that he couldn't take her home. He said he could." Damon shrugged.

"You!" Caroline pushed Klaus out of the way, marching straight up to Damon and slapping him as hard as she could. Honestly, she was surprised his neck was still intact.

"Caroline!" Elena gasped, coming to her boyfriend's aid. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me? Are you serious right now, Elena?" Caroline shrieked. "Did you not hear what Damon just said?"

"He meant no harm." Elena insisted.

"No harm, really?" Caroline crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And I guess Damon conveniently forgot to tell him who I was, not to mention that I'm a vampire, right? Because that douche over there tried to compel me!"

"He did what?" Klaus growled.

"That's not Damon's fault!" Elena argued.

"Wake up, Elena! Your perfect boyfriend and his friend are compelling women to change their no to a yes. That's messed up, to put it lightly. You should be happy I didn't kill either of them!" Caroline announced.

"Wow. At first, I thought you were suffering from a bad case Stockholm Syndrome. But clearly you enjoy your time with the Mikaelsons enough to be just like them." Elena snapped.

"You know what? I'm out." Caroline announced before leaving.

Klaus stayed behind, looking at the pair pointedly.

"You know that as soon as she gives me the word, I will kill you?" Klaus asked Damon. "Oh, and make sure I never see his face ever again. Because if I do, mine will be the last he ever sees." And with that, he hurried after the blonde.

"What's going on, Nik? Where did Care go?" Rebekah asked.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her. Enjoy the rest of you evening." He answered quickly.

He found Caroline in her room back in the mansion, sitting on the edge of her bed, head in her hands.

"Talk to me." Klaus pleaded.

Caroline exhaled loudly.

"I was too weak back then." She whispered. "And I guess this Enzo just reminded me of the fear I felt. But I'm not weak anymore. I can protect myself."

"I know. But you don't have to. You're not alone anymore." Klaus reassured her.

"I wasn't alone back then, you know?" Caroline looked up at him finally. "Elena and Stefan knew. But they were too scared of what Damon would do if they would try to help. So, they didn't."

Klaus felt anger rise in his chest. That was a detail Caroline had never shared with him.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could say.

"It's not your fault."

"I know. But maybe things would have been different had I met you sooner."

"No. You would not have liked the human me."

"Why not?"

"Just trust me." She said and finally, she smiled at him. "And I'm sorry."

"Whatever are you sorry for, love?" He didn't understand.

"You were right. I avoid talking to you. Talking about us." She admitted.

"Still, it was wrong of me to throw that at you when I knew you were distressed."

"Kind of. But I get why you did it. I probably would have snapped much sooner were our roles reversed."

"Usually, so would I. But I'm trying not to lash out as quickly anymore." He pointed out, smirking at her.

"I know. And you have really worked hard on yourself. I've seen it." Caroline agreed.

"But you still don't acknowledge our need for a conversation. Why?" His eyes were pleading.

"I guess I'm just scared, you know?" Caroline confessed.

And he did. He understood that he might have hurt her one time many times.

"So am I." He admitted.

"You?" Caroline raised a brow at him.

"It's true, love. I'm scared that I have truly lost you. I'm scared that you will refuse to give me another chance." She was surprised at his honesty. He rarely spoke about his feelings, rarely made himself vulnerable in front of others. She knew that.

"And I'm scared that the more time I spent with you, I long to give you that chance more and more. And as much as I want to, I'm scared that history will repeat itself. How can I take care of Josef while mending my heart broken again?" She asked, finally opening up to him as well.

"I cannot promise you that things will go smoothly for our family from now on. But I promise you now that I will do everything in my power to make sure that no one will ever hurt you again. Including me. And should I fail, I promise to be there to help you recover." He vowed.

Caroline stood up and walked towards him.

"And what will happen when you get sick of me? When you find someone new, someone more interesting." She asked and he huffed. "What?"

"I highly doubt that." He explained. "I have lived for a century and no other woman could make me feel the way you do. I have never felt the love I feel for you."

Her eyes grew wide, her heart beating furiously in her chest.

"You love me?" She asked quietly, her expression unreadable.

"Yes. I love you, Caroline." Klaus had had more than enough time to work through his feelings for the baby vampire. Still, saying it out loud for the first time came as quite the surprise to him as well. Not to mention the anxiety he felt now that he knew there was no going back.

"Do you remember the day after Christmas when you were packing your bags for New Orleans?" Caroline asked and he nodded.

"I was so confused about us. I mean, I knew what I wanted. But you were so hard for me to figure out. My mom actually encouraged me to talk to you that day." Caroline remembered fondly. "That day, I wanted to tell you that I love you."

Klaus looked at her with pain in his eyes.

"And it's actually a bit crazy, but that never changed. Even though I tried to fight it all the time. I still love you." Caroline smiled at him and Klaus found that he couldn't wait any longer. He closed the distance between them and finally tasted her lips again. She, in turn, wound her arms around his neck, trying to get him closer.

"Finally!" Rebekah made them jump apart. "About time you two made up!"

* * *

**Well, hello there dear reader!**

**I'm guessing there is a lot of OOC things going on in this chapter. Plus, I just used Enzo in a way that would simply benefit the plot. Sorry to all of you who like him. It had to be done.**

**Anyway, thanks again for everyone that stuck around so far. You are very much appreciated!**

**If you find the time, please leave a review, they tend to make me very happy!**

**Lots of Love and stay safe!**


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